Heroes Forever
by DragonShadow
Summary: Section 4: The Demon Within. Haunted by strange voices while everyone close to him seems to turn on him, Dash's perfect life is slowly being shattered.
1. Winds of Change

Winds of Change 

Freedom. It wasn't something Violet Parr had thought much about before, but it was something she certainly appreciated now. Not TOTAL freedom of course, after all the very nature of a Secret Identity was that it couldn't be shouted from the rooftops, but at least she was able to be herself when she donned her suit and became Invisigirl. 

A full year after the defeat of Syndrome and the second rise of the Superheroes, The Incredibles were among the most beloved superheroes on the planet. Their parents took it in stride and Violet herself was too preoccupied with school concerns now that she didn't have to ignore her powers. Dashiel, however, had become an incorrigible little ball of ego. 

"Who's the Dash? I'm the Dash!" Dash shouted at the top of his lungs as he streaked through the living room at full speed. Violet looked up from one of her schoolbooks to glare after him, but it was already far too late. 

"Violet, hurry up and get going, you're going to be late for school." Helen Parr, Violet's mother, reminded her as she walked through the house with a little waddling form running along behind her to keep up. Jack-Jack's powers seemed to be growing every day, making him almost as much of a handful as Dash was at that age. Though nothing would ever compare to trying to keep up with a 30 MPH toddler. 

"Yeah I'm going." Violet grumped as she slapped her book shut and pushed herself up from the chair. Before she could take a single step Dash raced through the room. 

"Lova ya bye mom see ya!" He vanished out the front door. 

"Hey, no superpowers at school! I MEAN IT!" Helen screamed after her son, though he was probably too far away to hear by now. Helen sighed and put her hand on her forehead. "That boy is going to be the death of me..." 

Violet chuckled and walked up to kiss her mother on the cheek. "See you after school mom." 

"Have a good day honey." Helen smiled back. Violet turned to leave the house, hefting her backpack up over her shoulder and emerging into the brusque Winter chill. She made her way down the sidewalk to the bus stop and sat down. There was a small group of other kids gathered around, one of whom was her old childhood friend from way back. 

"Hey Violet." Lisa made her way through the crowd to sit beside her, dropping her backpack on the seat. "Man, this cold is killing me. It's like walking through a damn blizzard. And it's not even snowing yet." She shook her head. "I hate the Winter, I hate it hate it hate it!" 

"You say that every year. Then you run out and start flinging snowballs at everyone you see shouting 'I love Winter' at the top of your lungs." Violet reminded her old friend with a companionable smile. 

"Well I hate the cold, but I love pelting people with ice." Lisa sighed. "It's so hard dealing with having a complicated identity." Violet refrained from commenting on that, instead waiting for the bus to show up so they could board and make the ride to school. When they arrived it was covered in a dull gray haze as the clouds moved in overhead. 

"Speaking of snow." Violet reached out one well-gloved hand as a small piece of white powder fell on top of it. 

"Woohoo! I love Winter!" Lisa bounded off excitedly, leaving Violet to laugh and shake her head. Well, at least the girl was happy, so Violet turned to walk toward the school building. She didn't want to be late for class, Dash did bad enough in school without her adding to their parents' problems. She walked into class and sat down obediently to wait for class to start. 

Class was long and uneventful, so Violet was glad when she was finally able to emerge out into the now snow-covered outdoors. She was about to head toward the cafeteria when something cold slammed right into her ear, stunning her and knocking her to the ground. "Aaaaghggjgghg!" Violet gurgled in pain, clutching at her ear in agony. 

"Aah! Sorry Violet!" Lisa ran up to her and knelt down beside her. "I didn't mean to hit you there. Oohh that has to sting." Violet glared up at her angrily. "I know, you're mad, I'm sorry! Come on, I'll help you up." Lisa grabbed her arm and pulled Violet upward. Violet climbed to her feet, swaying dramatically until her friend grabbed her shoulders to stop her. "Whoa, careful there." 

"Ugh... I think I'm fine..." Violet grunted in pain as she picked pieces of snow out of her ear with the tip of her pinky finger. "Will you at least shout warnings before you fire? You could seriously hurt someone." It took Violet a moment to realize she was sounding more like a superhero than she did last year when she was cheering the girl on. Maybe experience was shaping her... or maybe getting clocked in the ear by an ice-ball had taught her this lesson just now. 

"Okay, I will. Are you sure you're okay?" Lisa asked. 

"Yeah, just a little headache." Violet assured her with a smile. They both stopped when they heard a set of footsteps tromping up the snow behind them, stopping right next to them. They both turned around to see a rather brawny looking boy in a thick overcoat and snow coating his face and pale red cheeks. His eyes were flaring angrily. 

"You... little..." He grabbed her collar and yanked her face up close to his. "How DARE you hit ME in the face with a snowball, you annoying little rat." He clenched his other fist in anger. Lisa squeaked in fear and tried to squirm away, but he held her tightly. 

"I'm... sorry..." She said meekly. 

"Too late you..." He was interrupted by Violet. 

"Hey, let go of her!" Violet marched up to them and grabbed Lisa's arm, pulling her away from the larger boy's grip. "She said she was sorry, hurting her won't accomplish anything! So just back off!" she shouted. Before she or anyone else could react, a sharp crack resounded across the school as the boy's palm slapped against her cheek, spinning her around and throwing her to the snow. 

"Violet!" Lisa knelt down beside her worriedly, then looked up at the bully. "What do you think you're doing, hitting a girl!? Didn't your mom ever teach you anything!?" Meanwhile Violet was pushing herself up to her hands and knees, clearing her head and putting a hand to her cheek. It stung pretty bad, and would probably leave a bruise. 

"I hit anyone who hits me first." The boy grabbed her again. "Like you." Lisa squeaked and squeezed her eyes shut as the boy brought his fist back behind his head. Violet pushed herself to her feet and whirled back toward the boy, clenching her fists at her sides. 

"Put her down right now." Violet growled darkly. All eyes turned on her, taken aback by the threat hidden in her tone. The boy stared at her for a moment, then smirked and shoved Lisa away from him. He stomped up to Violet, moving one foot away from her and leaning down over her, displaying his impressive height advantage. 

"Or what, girl?" He growled. "Are you going to hit me with that stick you call an arm?" Violet growled, her fists shaking in anger as she stared up at his taunting face. "Go ahead. I'd like to see you try." 

Violet moved her fist back, raising her other hand in front of her. She brought her fist forward with a furious scream, slamming it into his jaw. Every student in the gathered crowd gasped as the massive bully whirled as though struck by a man twice his size, flying through the air to the snow several feet away from her. 

Violet stared in shock as all eyes turned back to her. Looking down, she saw the crackle of her power floating two feet in front of her still-clenched fist. Quickly she opened her hand and the power dissipated, but the others didn't stop staring at her. That was no force field... what was it? Whatever it was, everyone had seen it... she'd revealed herself... 

"Violet..." Lisa stepped forward, but Violet moved away from her. The young superhero whirled and ran as fast as she could, her heart pounding like a jackhammer. "Violet! Wait!" Lisa cried, but Violet ignored her. She can out of the school grounds, pumping her legs as hard as she could. How could she do this? Not only had she revealed her secret identity, but she'd used her powers to knock out a fellow student. Her parents were going to kill her. 

She ran as fast as she could until her side ached and her breath came in shuddering gasps. Finally she collapsed against the side of a wall, sliding down it and wrapping her arms around her legs. She was confused... she didn't know what has happened, or what she could do about it now. She didn't want to face the inevitable wrath when her parents found out what she did... but what now...? 

All she could do was duck into the alley, yanking her normal clothes off and sliding into her Invisigirl outfit, the only way she could remain completely undetected by the rest of the world. She activated her power of invisibility and turned to head back further into the alley, spotting a nearby fire escape. She gripped it and climbed up quickly. 

She emerged onto the roof, not caring about the biting cold as she walked slowly across it. What had she done? How could she reveal her secret so stupidly? Why was she such an incredible screw up? All she could do was create a bubble and try to hide from the world... 

She walked to the edge of the roof and pushed the snow off of it, sitting down and swinging her legs over the side. She stared down at the blanket of snow on the street far below her. She felt numb... cold and numb, though her superhero suit was well insulated against the biting Winter cold. It felt like it was stinging straight through the fabric, though she knew this wasn't physical cold... 

She lowered her head to her chest... and cried. It was all she could think to do. Just cry softly into the Winter snow, as if it cared one way or the other about how badly she'd messed up. And what would that bastard's parents do when they discovered that she'd hurt their son? They could sue... possibly have her arrested... 

She felt like a disgrace. She was a super hero, the incredible Invisigirl, and all she could do was cry. It was all so stupid... she felt so stupid and helpless. Like she was a baby again, crying out for her mommy to come save her from her own stupidity. 

"Violet... honey?" Helen said softly, moving toward the ledge. Violet snapped to attention in surprise, climbing to her feet. She'd kept her invisibility active, though she now saw her own footsteps in the snow behind her. "Wait, I'm not angry... it's okay." Helen approached slowly, holding her arms out. She was wearing her own Elastigirl outfit. 

"I didn't mean to..." Violet's voice quaked as she spoke. 

"I know you didn't sweety." Helen replied. "I heard the story from Lisa... it's not your fault." 

"I don't even kn... know what happened..." Violet let her invisibility cloak fade out, appearing suddenly in front of her mother. Now more than ever she felt like a child, waiting to be screamed at or protected by her mother. "I was just trying to keep him from hitting Lisa, I didn't mean to... I didn't even know I could..." 

"Sshhh... come here sweety." Helen said. Violet looked at her, then stepped off the ledge and into her mother's arms. Helen wrapped her up in a tight hug, holding her close. "It's okay, nobody's angry at you... it was just an accident..." She cooed. 

"But I revealed... I mean they know..." Violet said. 

"No, they don't. They didn't see anything. It's okay. Your secret's still safe." Helen told her. "Now come home with me, tell us exactly what happened, and I'll make you something warm to drink, okay?" Violet felt her mother run a hand over her cheek, wiping away a stray tear that had frozen in place. Violet nodded slowly, sniffling away her tears. The snow continued to fall across the city, unaffected by the trauma of the day.

* * *

"And then I guess... I just freaked out and ran..." Violet finished her recollection of events from the school. Her parents, Helen and Bob, had listened through the whole story. "I was just so scared everyone figured me out right there... that I completely messed up all of our secret identities. And then with the fighting and the hurting and..." 

"It's okay, sweety." Helen said. 

"Yeah, it sounds like you were just doing the right thing." Bob commented. "Just what a Superhero should do." 

"But you do know there was a better way than hitting him, don't you?" Helen said. Violet nodded morosely. "Then I don't think we need to punish you... if anyone should be punished it's this Andrew kid." Helen scoffed. "What kind of boy actually punches a girl for throwing a snowball?" 

"The kind who needs a good smack." Bob said. 

"Bob! Don't encourage needless violence!" Helen exclaimed. 

"The kid obviously needs it!" Bob complained. Violet giggled while Helen shot her husband the look of Satan getting ready to drag him into the pit. "... But maybe you weren't the one who needed to do the smacking." He amended. This seemed to satisfy Helen, who turned back to Violet. 

"The thing is, I don't know how I did it. I hit him and it was like... like these gloves appeared in front of my hands." Violet said. "It was like my force-field, but different. I've never been able to do this before." She said, looking down at her hands." 

"Well, sweety, girls your age are still... developing." Helen told her. "It's not unheard of for a Super around your age to have their powers grow and change with their bodies." 

"Yeah. You know my old buddy Frozone? As a kid he could only change the shape of ice. Then when he grew up he could turn moisture INTO ice. Your powers are just developing." Bob added. "Just... try not to deck any more kids at school with them, alright?" 

"Okay, I'll try not to." Violet nodded. She stood up as the front door opened and Dash walked into the room importantly. 

"The Dash is home!" He announced. When he noticed the rest of his family gathered in the living room he huffed and crossed his arms in front of his chest. "I missed something good didn't I?" 

"Nothing you need to worry about." Helen told him. 

"Come on and tell me!" Dash insisted. 

"Buzz off." Violet wrapped him in a force field and pushed him across the room as she passed by on her way to the staircase. Dash yelled in anger until the field dissipated, dropping him to the floor while Violet made her way into her room and locked the door behind her. She moved into the center of the room, looking down at her hands as she plopped down on the bed. She dropped her backpack beside her, and her super suit fell to the floor. 

"New powers..." she held up her hands, trying to get the strange gloves to appear again. She didn't see anything happen though. "Hmm... how do I turn it on?" She tried to make a pole or a playing card or anything, but nothing appeared in front of her. "Maybe it was just a fluke..." She shook her head. "No way... but maybe I'm going about this all wrong..." 

She stood up and held her hands in front of her, conjuring a force field in the space in front of her. She walked around the force field slowly, running the palm of one hand along the solid glittering surface. She stopped and put both hands on it, pushing inward. To her surprise the field bent inward like a sponge. 

She moved her hands back, and it stayed that way, so she started moving the field around experimentally until she had a glittering staff held in both hands. "So it's not a new power... just an extension of the old one." She mused, running her hands overt he newly formed staff. "Not bad... I guess I just need practice to make it START in different shapes." 

"Violet?" Violet's heart almost burst and her staff dissipated as she whirled around. Lisa was standing in the doorway, watching her with a worried expression on her face. "Violet, are you okay?" 

"I'm... f... fine..." Violet looked down and quickly kicked her super suit under her bed. "Just... just needed to work some things out." She smiled nervously. Lisa either didn't notice, or didn't comment as she walked into the room. 

"Yeah... I just needed to thank you for standing up for me." Lisa said. "I hope your parents weren't too hard on you for punching Andrew out." 

"Nah, they understand. They're really cool." Violet replied. 

"That's good to know..." Lisa said. For several long moments there was an uncomfortable silence, as if there was a flood of questions waiting to be asked but too afraid to come out. "If... if you want to talk about anything, I'll listen." Lisa said. It was a friendly offer, but Violet knew exactly what she was talking about. She was wondering about Violet's powers. 

"I... I really can't..." Violet replied uncomfortably. 

"Okay... I understand." Lisa nodded. "Guess there are some things you just can't trust anyone with..." She turned to leave, and Violet could only watch her go. The super heroine watched her best friend leave, then fell back onto her bed, flinging her arms out to the sides. She knew it would be betraying her whole family to reveal her secret identity... so why did she feel like a heel for refusing to tell Lisa? 

Oh well, she couldn't tell no matter how much she wanted to. And right now she had to figure out how to use these powers before she accidentally hurt someone with them again. She just hoped that everyone will have forgotten today's incident by tomorrow...

* * *

Yeah right. The following day Violet wanted to sink invisibly into a deep dark corner and cower for a while. Every pair of eyes in school was on her, studying her, as if trying to decide what undoubtedly horrible rumors were and were not true. It almost seemed like a few were about to run over and attack her, but thankfully nobody went that far. They all kept their distance... even Lisa stayed as far away from her as possible. 

Well, they didn't know her secret identity. But they knew SOMETHING was freaky about her... and that was perhaps even worse. If they knew she was a Superhero they would know she was a good guy at least. As it was, they weren't sure if she was an alien, an evil mole-girl, a supervillain, or what. Of course, she couldn't correct them... so her lonely stretch here would have to begin. 

She sat through class, flanked on every side by empty seats. Then went through lunch, with a table all to herself. It was almost like it had been before the second rise of the Superheroes, except then she'd WANTED to be alone. Why did it feel like her powers always got in the way, no matter what she could or could not do with them? 

When the final bell rang she found herself flanked by empty seats on the school bus, as her parents were too busy to pick her up between work, crime fighting, and Jack-Jack. She endured the ride home, emerging from the bus to walk the rest of the way toward her house. Lisa only lived two blocks away from her, but somehow she doubted the girl would bother to come see her. So she went up to her room to practice this new application of her powers. 

The next two weeks passed this way. Nobody would come near Violet, while Dash came home each day and told tales of his disgusting boyhood exploits with his friends. She knew her parents were growing more concerned by the day, but she was growing accustomed to her isolation. It wasn't like she'd never been through it before, it was just going back to what she once knew. 

And the isolation actually paid off where crime fighting was concerned. She had plenty of time to practice, and after two weeks she no longer had to physically mold her fields into different shapes. She could do it mentally, though the results weren't very pretty. Yet more practice would yield better results... but as it turned out, she ran out of time. 

An explosion rocked the city down to its foundation, an ominous rumble splitting the air for miles around. Violet whirled in her bedroom, staring out the window to where a massive wave of searing fire was stretching high into the sky from just two blocks away. She was the only one home at the time; her mom had gone to the store with Jack-Jack while her dad took Dash to his sports practice. 

"Guess it's time to see if this new power can hold up..." She took a deep breath and pulled her super suit out of her closet, quickly sliding it on, putting her black mask on last. She crawled out of her room, pulling herself up onto the roof of her house. She had to move quickly, and it seemed like a good time to try out a trick she came up with. 

She moved to the front of her house, spreading her hands out to the sides. Her field formed behind her, wrapping around her chest as two flat pieces extended to each side. The round, glittering wings flapped slightly, catching the breeze better than she'd expected. Well, no more stalling... it was time to test these things out. 

She leaned forward, letting herself fall off the front of the building. Her wings caught the air instantly, hefting her upward. It took her a moment to figure out how to go forward, but once she had it she found herself sailing through the sky with the grace of an eagle. "It works... it works! Wooohoooo!" She let out an exhilarated cry. 

"Congratulations Super, now fry!" A dark voice exclaimed just before a jet of fire engulfed her. Violet was pushed into the ground hard by the force of the flames. Thankfully, her durable fireproof suit absorbed much of both the flames and the impact. 

Violet looked up to see a wicked looking demon of flames standing over her. It raised a fiery sword high over its head and brought it down, but Violet raised her arms, covering herself in a force field just in time to stop the blade. It shattered, but quickly reformed. 

"Maybe it was a mistake to come alone..." Violet muttered to herself as she levitated to the center of her force field. The demon grabbed it and held it up like a pearl. 

"I've studied you heroes... you will not protect yourselves when innocents are in danger." The demon turned to look down at the street, where a pile of people were cowering... including Lisa. "Perhaps I should just take them, instead of you." The demon raised its hand toward the unconscious civilians. Violet knew exactly what would happen... but the demon was right, she couldn't let them suffer. 

Flames licked out toward the civilians, but were stopped as Violet redirected her field to cover them. This of course, left herself without protection. The fist tightened around her fragile body, then slammed her into the ground like a railroad spike. The shield around the civilians dissipated as Violet screamed and groaned in pain. 

She pushed herself to her hands and knees, shaking in pain, but the demon grabbed her again and hurled her into the side of a nearby burnt building. She plunged into the ashes, slamming into the ground hard. The only reason she was still alive was her suit, but that couldn't hold up forever. 

The demon plucked her from the ashes, lifting her out of the building. Her mask remained behind in the building, but she didn't have time to worry about that. "You are merely a child... why would you dare stand against me?" The demon growled victoriously. 

"Because... it was right..." Violet replied. 

"Then you shall die for what was right." The demon's fist tightened around her, crushing her slowly. Violet screamed in pain, tears sliding down her cheeks as the demon cackled, seeming to grow stronger by the second. 

"INVISIGIRL!" three cries of alarm erupted from around them as three similarly clad heroes rushed to the rescue. Mr. Incredible leapt into the air, slamming his fist into the demon's stomach. The punch knocked it back, but only enough to send it stumbling. The massive living fireball looked down at Violet with an arrogant grin. 

"Your death will come another time... when I choose." It hurled her over its shoulder carelessly, sending her flying through the air. She slammed into the street limply, rolling to a stop near the cowering civilians. The sound of battle ensued nearby, but she was in too much pain to look. Her entire body ached, and her vision was foggy. 

"Violet..." A soft voice lulled her into the darkness. 

A steady beeping sound greeted her when she awakened. Her body felt weak, but her head was slowly losing the fog. She was able to open her eyes and see, though the light was searingly bright. "Ow... someone turn the lights down..." Violet complained softly. 

"Violet!?" Dash's excited voice came back. Instantly his head was poking over hers. "Violet you're awake! I've gotta tell everyone else!" The boy vanished in a red and black blur, streaking out the door. Violet watched him go, then turned to take stock of her surroundings. It was a large solid steel room with a massive medical looking machine in the center. Her suit was lying on the floor, and she realized she was in her bra and panties. The beeping was coming from a wire connected to her chest over her heart. 

She sat up, rubbing her head painfully. Then she heard several sets of footsteps rush into the room. "Violet!" Both of her parents rushed her, wrapping their arms around her tightly. 

"Violet, honey, you're okay! We were so worried!" Her mother kissed her cheek furiously, her arms doing laps around Violet to keep hold of her. "God don't EVER run off on your own to save the world again!" 

"I'm sorry... I thought with my new powers I could... I mean..." Violet looked down ashamedly. "I didn't think I'd mess up so bad..." 

"Hey, you didn't mess up. You saved those people. We're very proud of you." Her father rested his hand on her shoulder. Violet smiled up at him slightly, then looked around again. 

"So... where are we? This doesn't look like a hospital." 

"Hospital?" A somewhat scratchy voice exclaimed, as though offended. Her parents moved and looked back to reveal a tiny little woman marching toward them. "That's no way to keep a secret identity secret, letting doctors poke and prod at you. And the service, absolutely unacceptable!" The woman approached and climbed up on a stool to look her over. 

"Violet, honey, this is Edna." Her mother said. "She's the best friend a superhero can have. She designed our super suits." 

"You need to be more careful about your mask. You came close to being exposed to the world, also no way to keep your secret identity secret." Edna chided her, slapping her on the forehead. 

"Ow... sorry..." Violet rubbed her forehead, more for the emotional sting than any physical pain. "I guess Dash probably saved me..." 

"No, he didn't. You got lucky she did what she did, and so did she." Edna countered. Violet blinked in confusion. 'She'? 

Everyone turned back toward the door as Lisa walked into the room gingerly, looking straight at Violet. "Violet... are you feeling better?" Lisa smiled sheepishly. Violet just stared in surprise. They were all standing around with their masks off... fully exposed... 

"Violet dear, Lisa kept your face hidden from everyone else until we could get to you." Her mother said. "She saved our secret." Violet looked up at her, then turned to watch Lisa approached the medical bed, wringing her hands in front of her. 

"I... know I've been a jerk... I really didn't think you were... I didn't know you were a hero..." Lisa stopped beside the bed, staring at her guiltily. "I'm so sorry Violet... I never should have..." 

"No... you shouldn't." Violet replied acidly. "Whether I was a hero or not... but now that you know this you decide I'm good enough for you again?" Violet scoffed. "Thank you for helping me... but I don't need a friend who only likes me because I'm a hero." Violet looked away from her pointedly, closing her eyes. An oppressive silence dominated the room until Lisa spoke again in a shivering voice. 

"O... okay... I'll... s-see you at school..." A pair of footsteps darted out of the room. 

"Come on everyone, we should let the girl rest." Edna stated as she ushered the rest of her family out of the room. Violet looked back toward the door, then lay back down on the bed, closing her eyes. She didn't want to let the tears out... but they came regardless.

* * *

Violet returned to school two days later, as if she hadn't risked her life to try to save half the city. She got the same silent treatment and suspicious glares, only now it was coupled with rumors about where she'd been the last two days. Being a superhero really was a thankless task. And she thought certain other heroes were just whining when they said that. The only difference was Lisa, who no longer shared in the rumor mills, but still avoided her at all costs. That suited Violet just fine. She didn't particularly want to have anything to do with her. 

And so life proceeded, with Violet more alone than ever but honing her powers to a fine point. She was able to conjure several perfectly shaped objects out of the air by now, ones she thought might be useful in combat or travel. A pair of roller blades, a pair of wings, a broadsword, and the gauntlets she'd clocked Andrew with in school. It was all weightless energy, so their size didn't matter. 

All in all, she was feeling pretty good about herself several weeks later as she went through her daily routine of munching on her lunch at her private table in the school cafeteria. She stood up to leave, dumping her tray's contents in the trash and heading out into the snow-covered landscape. Christmas was looming nigh, and twinkling colored lights flashed throughout the entire school. 

She stopped when she saw Andrew watching her. He'd spent longer out of commission than she'd spent after her fight with the fire demon, though she suspected he hammed it up to get out of school. "Hey, freak." He pushed himself off the wall and walked up to her. 

"You know, most guys would have the brains not to taunt the girl who kicked their butt." Violet pointed out. She wasn't in the mood for this. 

"Well let's just say I don't make the same mistake twice." Andrew smirked. Violet quirked one eyebrow when she heard several sets of footsteps marching through the snow toward her. She was surrounded on all sides now by beefy football players. She could take them of course, but she would have to use her powers to do it. She got lucky nobody put it together the first time, she couldn't risk it again. 

But she could still bluff. "You know I can still beat all of you. I am 'the freak' after all." She stated. Andrew didn't fall for it, stepping up close to her. 

"Prove it, girly." He demanded. Violet stepped back away from him, but showing that little bit of fear only opened the floodgates. 

The snow crunched underneath her as she fell to the snow, coughing and curled up in a fetal position as the four boys laughed and turned to leave, having proven their masculinity to themselves. Violet remained on the ground, trying to catch her breath and stop herself from shivering. 

When others began to emerge from the cafeteria, they simply stepped around or over her until she finally pushed herself up and leaned against the wall, holding her bruised stomach. Even Lisa walked past her, though Violet knew she'd seen her leaning against the wall. Who needed her anyway? 

The rest of her school day went without a hitch, but when she got home her mom definitely took notice of her somewhat stiff movements. 

"Violet... are you okay?" Her mom asked worriedly as Violet grabbed a cold drink from the fridge and put it against her stomach under her shirt. The cold felt wonderful against her bruises. 

"I'll be fine mom... just some divine retribution for my outburst a few weeks ago I guess." Violet smirked and made her way into the living room to plop down on one of the couches. Her mom followed and sat down beside her, frowning. 

"That Andrew boy? Didn't you tell anyone?" She asked. 

"Like anybody would care. Even the principal is scared of me." Violet smirked. "He would probably find it hilarious." She looked down as she pulled the soda out from under her shirt and popped it open to take a swig. "Everyone at that school hates me..." She didn't even say it like a self-pitying or paranoid statement. It was just a simple fact of her life. 

"I'm sure it'll all blow over..." Her mom smiled and squeezed her shoulder comfortingly. "And you'll forget it ever happened..." 

Yeah freaking right. The next day after lunch at the same time, same place, Violet ran into Andrew once again with his buddies. "Hey Punching Bag." 

"Didn't you already get your manhood back yesterday?" Violet asked irritably. She quickly realized taunting wasn't the wisest move as Andrew walked up to her and grabbed her jaw, hefting upward so that she was standing on the tips of her toes. 

"Show some respect, freak." Andrew shoved her back, sending her back into the snow. She tried to get up, but two of his buddies pinned her arms to the ground, holding her down. Andrew walked up to stand over her. "Or I'll make you show some respect." He looked up when the first students began emerging from the cafeteria. For a moment Violet hoped that someone would see and come to her aid... 

But that was a foolish hope. They passed by as if they were all invisible, at times stepping right over Violet on their way to wherever they had to go. Andrew looked down at her with a vicious grin. "Nobody to help you freak..." He knelt down and raised his fist... 

When school finally let out Violet rushed straight home, forgoing the bus and taking her own new means of rolling transportation home. She let her roller blades dissipate as she neared the house and walked inside, making her whole body vanish as she passed through the living room to hide her obvious bruises. Her mom was busy with Jack-Jack and Dash wasn't home yet, so she made it to her room unhindered and plopped down on her bed to cry. 

Was this what her life had become from now on? Hated by everyone she came across? Beaten daily by a bully, and ignored by supposed friends even while she made it her duty to go out and save them all from dire threats? Her family swore to fight for justice... well what kind of whacked out justice was this? She couldn't even fight back or she would be betraying her family's trust. 

Her tears were the only certainly as she drifted off into a healing sleep. 

Several more weeks passed, more weeks of lunchtime beatings until Violet was sure her body was beginning to go numb. But she didn't tell. Her mom wouldn't do a thing to help her, and her dad just might break the boy's neck if he knew what was going on. She really didn't want to put him in that position, however tempting the idea was. 

It was the last day before Christmas Break now. A break from the daily beatings that had become part of her normal routine. A few times she'd attempted to sneak out and avoid them, but they always caught up with her sooner or later and doubled the punishment in retribution. So she stopped trying and just walked into them day after day. 

One week before the happiest day of the year, she found herself again face to face with Andrew, who approached her with his cronies behind him. He didn't even say anything, he just grabbed her by the sweater collar and shoved her roughly up against the wall. 

Today however something different happened. "That's enough!" A shrill voice screamed from behind Andrew. The three boys looked back to see Lisa glaring at them, her eyes bloodshot and her cheeks wet. "Haven't you proven your point yet!? You beat her, we all get it! You're better than her! Enough is enough, you can stop now!" 

"Oh, are you gonna make us?" Andrew turned toward her, letting Violet drop to the snow as he marched up to her former friend. "If I don't wanna stop, are you gonna do something about it? Hm?" He shoved her back roughly, but she remained on her feet, standing tall in front of him. 

"I'm not going to watch anymore... I want you to stop, or I'll do whatever I have to." Lisa shot back. "That girl is the greatest person I know... she's a million times the human being you will ever be. 

"Boohoo." Andrew grabbed her and raised his fist. 

"Is violence all you know how to use?" Lisa scowled over his hand holding her jacket. "I guess that is the mark of a moron." A swift blow to her stomach silenced her and drove her to her knees, coughing and gasping for air. Violet climbed to her feet, watching the exchange numbly. Andrew turned back to her, pointing his finger at her. 

"Don't think you're off the hook." Andrew told her. Violet looked past him to see Lisa still curled up on the snow, gasping for air. Violet would let herself go down for the greater good... but watching her friends go down was just going too far. Even if it was an ex-friend. Besides, if she did this right, she could do it without ever showing obvious use of her powers. 

"Oh, are you going to f-" He didn't even have time to finish before Violet jammed her fist into his stomach, the gauntlet forming at the last second to add plenty of force to it. The gauntlet dissipated and she pulled her fist back, letting him crumple to the snow alongside Lisa. She turned to the boy's lackeys, but they just shook their heads and ran in the other direction. 

"Lisa?" Violet knelt down beside her friend, helping her sit up on the snow. "Deep breaths, you'll be okay." 

"Th... thanks Violet..." Lisa croaked out between gasps, giving her a small smile. "And... I'm still sorry..." she shook her head. 

"Come on... I'll help you up." Violet helped her friend climb to her feet shakily. She was recovering rapidly now. "Thank you for trying to save me... I've never had anyone but my family do that..." 

"Hey... it's what people should do for each other." Lisa nodded. "It's... also what friends are for...?" She gave Violet a questioning gaze. Violet stared back, then smiled and wrapped her friend in a light hug. 

"It sure is." Violet said. When they pulled back Lisa was wiping a tear out of her eyes. "Would you like to come over for Christmas some time? My mom makes a killer pie." 

"I'd love to." Lisa smiled. So they stepped over the body of the fallen bully together on their way to their next class.

* * *

Christmas time was a time of family togetherness. A time for the brotherhood of man, peace on Earth, and conversely, to greedily demand more presents and food than any other time of the year. Parents dreaded it, Violet liked it, but Dash loved it with a passion, mostly because he could be downstairs, open the presents, and be back in bed before anyone could notice he was down there. He kept trying to convince them the Ghost of Christmas Presents was doing it, but their parents were never fooled. 

"Hark the Herald angels siiing..." Helen sang. 

"Glory to my Christmas Presents." Dash finished. 

"You know it's not too late to take those back." Helen told him snidely. 

"Oh you can't resist this face mom, no matter what my attitude is like." Dash flashed her his best charming boy smile. Violet and Lisa just shook their heads, trying to ignore them as they sat down in front of the TV to watch It's A Wonderful Life. 

"I gotta say Violet, this has been a great Christmas." Lisa smiled over at her. "And you're right, your mom's pie is the best." 

"Yeah. Yeah things are pretty good..." Violet smiled to herself as she swished her glass of eggnog around. A glance at the nearby window told her that the sky outside was growing dark. Christmas was almost over, and it was about time for Lisa to be heading home. "When did you have to be home again?" she asked. Lisa looked over at a nearby clock. 

"Ewe. Fifteen minutes ago." Lisa winced. 

"Ouch. Want me to walk you home?" Violet asked. 

"Actually sure... I'd feel a lot safer walking in the dark with you around." Lisa smiled. Violet smiled back and stood up from the couch, grabbing a nearby jacket and sliding it on over her sweater. 

"I'm gonna walk Lisa home, I'll be back in a few minutes." Violet called into the kitchen. 

"Don't be too long honey." Her mom shouted back. 

"I won't." Violet left the house with Lisa at her side, pacing down the snow-covered sidewalk at a moderate pace. They both had their hands jammed into their pockets, looking down at the sidewalk. It wasn't an uncomfortable silence really, just a silent knowledge that things weren't quite like they were before Violet's secret had been exposed. 

"Do you believe in destiny?" Lisa asked suddenly. "Like, how things always work out a certain way for a reason?" 

"I don't know..." Violet shrugged. "Why do you ask?" 

"I mean, what are the chances of you being a Super?" Lisa asked. "The chances are like a million to one." 

"Well, both of my parents are Supers." Violet pointed out. 

"But they could've had someone else just as easily. But no, they had you, Violet Parr, my best friend in the world." Lisa shook her head. "Don't you think there has to be a reason for that?" 

"Not really." Violet shrugged. "Just means I got lucky... or unlucky, depending." 

"Well..." Lisa trailed off when they both heard the tromp of footsteps on the snow around them. It was fully night now, the only lights coming from the dull street lamps that dotted the sidewalks. "Does that sound... too big to be human to you...?" Lisa asked fearfully. 

"It sounds familiar..." Violet said in a hushed tone. "Lisa, get back to my house, tell my parents I need them, now." Lisa nodded and took off back the way they came, but something emerged from the ground in front of her, knocking her back to land in the snow beside Violet. "Lisa!" Violet knelt down beside her friend to make sure she was alive, then looked up as the fire-demon emerged from the ground. 

"Little one..." The demon raised one fiery fist high into the sky and brought it down, cracking the pavement right beside Violet and her friend. 

"What are you here for? What do you want with us?" Violet demanded. 

"That is not for you to know." The demon moved its hand toward her, trying to grab her. But Violet whirled on his hand, the sparkling Force Broadsword forming quickly in time to slice three fingers right off of his hand. The demon howled in surprise and rage, rising up to its full height, the flames licking angrily at the sky. 

"I've had enough of the world gunning for me, and doing nothing but withdrawing into a shell..." Violet growled. "Letting the world pound at me until I start to crack... and waiting for someone to come to my rescue. No more!" 

The demon howled and flung his fist forward, a jet of white-hot fire streaking toward both girls. Violet put up a field around herself and Lisa to deflect the flames while she picked up her friend. When the flames died she took off toward a nearby building. The demon gave chase, raising one flaring hand high above its head into the night sky. 

Violet dodged to the side as the fire licked out, narrowly avoiding it. She put Lisa on the ground while the smoke was still obscuring her and quickly started covering her with snow. Lisa groaned and opened one eye in surprise, regaining consciousness. "Stay here Lisa, I'll keep him away from you." Violet said quickly. Lisa nodded slightly as Violet finished her burial and took off in the opposite direction. 

She ran out onto the street and her Force Skates appeared on her feet, carrying her rapidly down the street while the demon gave chase still. Violet looked back as the demon charged another blast of fire, but Violet weaved down an adjacent street to avoid the burst. The demon howled in frustration, its entire body flaring for another assault. 

Violet fell to her feet on the street and looked around. People were emerging from their homes to see what was happening, and the demon was charging up to detonate all around itself. Violet raised her hands, summoning a field to encase the demon as its flames erupted. 

The fire tore at her field, far larger than she was used to creating. It hurt every fiber of her body to keep it up, but she did until the flames died down. The field dropped... and Violet fell to her knees panting. The demon stomped up to her, staring down at her in a considering manner. 

"You are brave... that will only make you more filling..." The monster reached for her with its good hand, but again Violet swept the sparkling Force Broadsword in a wide arc. This time the demon was prepared, and she missed, but the demon grabbed her once she sword was out of range and hefted her off the ground, holding her hands to her sides. 

Violet howled in anger, her power manifesting once again as a pair of glittering translucent wings sprang from her back. They cut through the demon's hand, causing it to drop her so she could take flight, moving right between its legs before turning skyward into the starry darkness. She thought she made it, but she forgot to keep an eye on the demon. 

Flames engulfed her body, no longer protected by the strong super suit Edna had made for her. Violet howled in pain and lost her concentration, falling from the sky as her wings vanished. She plunged into a thick snow-bank that at once saved her from the fall, and put out the flames on her body. But she was far from safe. Her skin was blackened and burned, and the demon was approaching steadily. 

Violet's knees shook as she stood once again, forcing herself up to face the approaching demon. Her arms hung limp, and her back was hunched down, but she refused to fall to her knees again. 

"You have nothing left, girl." The demon stated as it approached her, stopping right in front of her. "Give up, and you will give me more nourishment." 

"No..." Violet replied darkly. "I won't feed you... you'll have to kill me first." Violet insisted. 

"Very well..." The demon raised one claw and brought it down quickly on top of her. At the last second Violet threw herself backward, the glittering wings sprouting from her back and slamming into the ground to throw her forward up the arm. She ran up the large arm, the wings reforming into the large broadsword as she leapt from the creature's bicep. 

The sword swept through the air in a shining arc. The creature tried to move its hand in defense, but the energy blade just cut straight through it, continuing straight through to slice through the creature's neck in one swift stroke. Violet's power gave out as she continued through the jump, slamming heavily into the snow as the demon landed limp behind her. 

Violet lay on the snow weakly, shivering but pleased with herself. When she looked up however, her heart sank. People were gathering in the park, staring at her in amazement. If she'd managed to somehow avoid exposing herself before, there was no chance she was getting similarly lucky now. 

"Violet!" She heard her mom's voice shout over the mumbling crowd as she broke through the crowd, in her super hero costume. "Violet, Lisa told us you were attacked! Are you okay!?" 

"I'm fine..." Violet looked back at the decapitated creature behind her. "I won... but..." She looked at the crowd again. Her mother looked around, taking in the situation, then looked down at her daughter with a gentle expression on her face. 

"Don't worry... we'll work everything out..." She told her tenderly. Violet had no idea how they could do that, but she was sure her mother would keep her word.

* * *

How does one keep an exposed superhero identity secret? Do they brainwash everyone who knew it? Do they eliminated the witnesses? Do they move away into the witness protection program? Apparently they just convince the townsfolk who know the truth not to tell. And indeed, the people kept their word. Nobody mentioned Violet's nighttime battle, except the news channels, who reported that Invisigirl had been the one involved. There was no taped evidence, so nobody could prove it was Violet herself. 

It was the first time violet could remember where the people she'd been fighting for actually helped her. It was a great reminder of the kind of thing she and her family continually fought for. And so was Lisa... 

Things with her best friend had only been getting better since the battle. Lisa figured that she owed Violet her life twice over now, and swore to stand by her no matter what she had to face until the end of her life. It seemed childish and ridiculous, but Violet really appreciated it. They did everything together now, even sat on Violet's roof at night watching the stars... 

"Do you believe in justice?" Lisa asked curiously, looking over at Violet lying right beside her. Violet looked back at her with a gentle smile, one that was almost tinged with a hint of knowledge. 

"Of course... it's what I do." Violet said. Lisa smiled and they both turned back to their stargazing. Nothing really needed to be said on the matter. Justice was what was right... and it seemed it always prevailed in the end, no matter how hard the road got. Justice gave Invisigirl the strength to fight her own battles... justice gave Violet her best friend in the world... and justice would see her through the rest of her days. 

THE END 


	2. Moonlight Mirage

Moonlight Mirage 

The last year had been kind of Bob Parr, otherwise widely known as Mr. Incredible. After 15 years kept in hiding, he was finally able to stretch his powerful legs and give the forces of evil more black eyes than any other hero in recorded history. Of course, he needed to since quite a lot of the old heroes had been hunted down and murdered like dogs as part of Syndrome's sick obsession with being a Super. 

He'd fought for a long time. He was used to death, destruction, and carnage, but the events one year ago had rattled him more than he'd known at the time. Seeing Gazerbeam's decayed corpse underneath the island, then seeing the list of exterminated Supers in Syndrome's database. He knew the old days could never return after that... but he still had a job to do. 

So he ran along the rooftops, wearing his flashy red, black and gold superhero suit. He jumped easily between the buildings, keeping an eye and an ear out for any sign of trouble. What troubled him most perhaps, was that while Syndrome was undisputedly dead and gone, they'd never been able to track down his assistant Mirage. The woman who'd called him out to the damned island... the woman who'd ultimately set him free. 

He leapt past the final street to land on the roof of the home he shared with his wife and three children. He jumped down in the back of the building and walked inside, pulling his mask off as he walked toward his bedroom to get changed out of his Superhero suit. He walked back downstairs and into the living room to find his wife Helen sitting on the couch with their youngest son Jack-Jack, reading to him from a small book. 

"Anything exciting happen honey?" Helen looked up from her book to ask. Jack-Jack looked up as well, more out of annoyance that she'd stopped reading than because he was interested in his father. 

"Not today. Things have gotten quiet lately." Bob stretched his back out, sighing. He loved fighting crime. Though he knew he shouldn't be HOPING for a crime to be committed, it was certainly a guilty pleasure to go out and bust some bad guy heads. 

"Well maybe some vicious mobster will convince an innocent youth to go out and commit a crime tomorrow." Helen smirked, knowing full well her husband's feelings. 

"We can only hope." Bob smiled back jokingly and walked over to look down at his youngest child. Man, he's getting pretty big." Bob commented. The baby had grown a lot over the last year, with a head full of teeth and a curiously wandering gaze. A pair of broad shoulders and strong looking legs were definitely inherited from Bob. 

"Well, one of them had to take after you." Helen smiled slightly. Violet was skinnier than either of them, and Dash was short for his age, with a somewhat unremarkable build. 

"Fooood!" Jack-Jack screamed demandingly. It had been his first word a while back, and he repeated it every single chance he got. 

"DEFINITELY takes after you." Helen chuckled and stood up, wrapping the child up in her arms and carrying him into the kitchen. Bob watched her go, then turned on the TV and plopped down on the couch heavily. The news reports of the day mostly talked about various events being held around the city. Not much had happened that was actually worth talking about that day. 

The phone rang, so Bob absently reached over and grabbed the receiver, raising it to his ear. "Parr residence. This is Bob." 

"Hello Bob." A faintly familiar voice said. "I hear life has been treating you and your family well. I'm glad to hear it." Bob's eyes went wide and he looked toward the kitchen to make sure his wife was still out of earshot before replying. 

"Mirage?" He asked. "Where have you been? You just vanished." 

The woman on the other end of the line just laughed. "Please Bob, I'm a wanted woman. What did you expect me to do?" 

"Serve your time and repay your debt to society." Bob replied simply. Mirage laughed again. 

"You are a piece of work." The woman chuckled. "No, I have no intention of rotting in prison for the next 50 years for the genocide Syndrome committed." 

"You committed it too. You helped him." Bob pointed out darkly. 

"But I redeemed myself, I've seen the error of my ways. But I wouldn't be treated any differently than Syndrome himself would. We both know it Bob. Either I live in hiding peacefully, or I rot in prison peacefully." Mirage countered. Bob remained silent, hating it, but knowing she was right. She'd freed Mr. Incredible from Syndrome's clutches, and assisted his family's escape from the island. Still, that didn't erase the murders she helped commit... "Personally, I'd rather at least have more than one room to myself." 

"Why are you calling me?" Bob asked softly, careful not to let his wife hear him. "I could have the police trace this call and find you." 

"Good luck, I'm on a payphone, and would be long gone by the time even your son could get here." Mirage replied. "And I called you because... well... I don't know. I suppose I just wanted to hear a friendly voice. Someone I can trust, who knows who I am." 

"What made you think you could trust me?" Bob asked. 

"Because I helped save your family... and your family means more to you than the law, Mr. Incredible." Mirage said. "Or am I wrong?" Bob considered that for a minute, running one hand through his short hair. 

"You're right..." Bob replied. "I won't tell anyone where you are... but if I hear you've committed one crime, I will personally testify that you need to be locked in the deepest, darkest dungeon there is." 

"Fair enough." Mirage didn't sound worried. "Now that we've got that settled, would you like to go do something? To catch up on the last year mind you." Bob thought about that. Why would she want to see him? Well, could it really hurt anything? Besides, it would be the responsible thing to at least check out whether she really has reformed or not. 

"Alright." Bob said. 

"Wonderful. Does Chinese sound good to you?" Mirage asked. 

"Fine." 

"Okay. Meet me at 7:30 at the Fortune Cookie on Rose and Pine." Mirage said. "I expect that you will keep your word as a superhero, Mr. Incredible, not to have a squad of police officers waiting for me there. I'll see you tonight." Mirage hung up, leaving him listening to the steady ring tone. He hung up the phone, looking up to see his wife in the kitchen with Jack-Jack in a high chair, watching him throw pieces of cereal all over the room. 

Bob looked at the nearby clock. It was already 6:30, and the restaurant she named was at least a 45-minute drive. He had to get going if he wanted to make it in time. 

"I'm going to head out for a while honey." Bob called toward the kitchen. 

"Where are you going?" Helen called back. 

"To meet an old friend I haven't seen in a while." Bob called back semi-truthfully. 

"Well, be back soon." Helen called. 

"I'll try." Bob grabbed his jacket and keys from the couch before turning to leave. It was getting on into Winter, and it was getting colder by the day. He was thankful that their Superhero suits were well insulated against both heat and cold. 

He made the long drive to the restaurant and climbed out of his sleek black car, approaching the entrance and pausing to wait. He was only waiting for a few minutes when he heard a voice behind him. 

"I knew it wasn't a mistake to trust you." Bob turned around to see Mirage standing behind him in a sleek black, form fitting dress that looked nice, but obviously wasn't top quality. In fact, she generally looked like she'd been having a rough time of it. Her face was devoid of makeup and she looked, if possible, scrawnier than she had a year ago. There were also dark circles under her eyes and a generally lifeless expression on her face, showing only approximations of the woman he'd known before. 

"Mirage... you look good." Bob said dumbly. 

"Please, save the flattery for someone who wouldn't know you're lying through your teeth." Mirage gave him a grateful smile nonetheless. "Let's go in before we catch up, I really am hungry." 

"Sure, it's my treat." Bob said. 

"Always the hero." Mirage chuckled, but didn't complain as she walked inside. Bob followed, and they were soon seated at one of the tables with comfortable padded chairs, one on each side of the table. "So, I understand your family has been making quite a name for themselves in the old superhero circles." 

"We've been doing alright. Violet's still a bit timid about the whole thing, but Dash took to it like a rat on cheese." Bob reported. 

Mirage laughed. "He must be exactly like his father." 

"Some people say that." Bob nodded slowly, studying Mirage's face. "So tell me, what have you been doing for the last year?" 

"Well, as you've probably guessed by now, I've been eking my way along somehow. Nothing glamorous or fun, but I'm still alive." Mirage replied. "Been working as a waitress at a local diner. Get pawed at least twice a day." She smirked. "I suppose this is karmic retribution for what I helped Syndrome do... go from the top of the food chain, to crawling along the very bottom." 

"As you said, you're still alive at least. And you still have your freedom... I think you deserve that much. You took a big risk turning against Syndrome. If he'd won, who knows what he would have done to you?" 

"I do know what he would've done, as a matter of fact..." Mirage said softly. Then she smiled. "That's what I like about you Bob. You believe in justice more than the law. A lot of superheroes would've sent the police here to capture me, but not you. Because you truly believe in justice. A lot of heroes don't know the meaning of the word. They follow what their governments tell them to do mindlessly without ever thinking an independent thought." 

Bob didn't respond, waiting instead for their previously ordered food to arrive so they could begin eating. Mirage dug into her food with gusto, obviously enjoying having a nice warm meal for a change. Bob just watched her, amazed at how the dignified if slightly manipulative woman could be reduced to this. She was like a beggar on the street. 

"Is something wrong?" Mirage asked, taking a break from savoring the food in front of her. 

"No, nothing wrong." Bob shook his head. "You know, if you need anything, we have plenty. If you need a few bucks or something..." 

"I don't believe in charity." Mirage replied. Bob looked down at her plate ironically, and she followed her gaze, then blushed slightly and looked away from him. 

"Don't think of it as charity, think of it as a thank you. For what you did for me and my family... and really, the whole world." Bob told her. Mirage looked at him again thoughtfully, then nodded. 

"Alright... I'll accept it." She said. "And of course, if you need anything, just ask. Though I have no idea what I could possibly do for you." 

"Don't worry about it." Bob turned back to eating his meal, which really was quite tasty. They ate in companionable silence for a little while until they had both eaten their fill, which for Bob took a while compared to Mirage, who was full after a small plate. At last the long-time superhero leaned back in his seat, patting his full stomach. 

"Well, this has certainly been a treat." Mirage stood up from the table. Bob looked outside, and saw that the night had come while they were eating. And this wasn't the best part of town. 

"Maybe I should drive you home." Bob stood up with her. 

"Always the hero huh?" Mirage smirked. "Alright." She nodded and turned to leave the restaurant, climbing in the passenger's seat of Bob's car. Bob climbed in the driver's seat and moved on down the road, with Mirage giving him directions to her home. 

When they arrived they both climbed out of the car. They were at a large apartment complex, with small homes each the size of the Parr's living room side-by-side with incredibly thin walls between them. Mirage approached the stairs and turned back to him. "I would ask you to come inside and have some coffee, but I'm afraid you're a married man." 

"That I am." Bob smirked slightly. Not that it wasn't a tempting thought, but the thought of his loving wife at home was more tempting. 

"Then take my phone number, and we'll set up our future relations later." Mirage drew a small notepad out of her dress, scrawled her number on it and handed it to him. 

"I'll be seeing you around, Mirage." Bob nodded and turned to leave, sticking the note in one of his pockets. On the drive back home he couldn't help but feel a little bit guilty, but he wasn't doing anything wrong. He was helping a former criminal with her second chance at life. That was a worthy cause, there was nothing more to it...

* * *

Bob's day at work several days later was tough, but he was still pleased with himself. He was working a bit of overtime at his day job to make enough to help pay Mirage's bills without alarming Helen. Alarming? Who was he kidding? He didn't want Helen to know Mirage still existed. He felt like an unfaithful cheater, but it was nothing like that. 

The first snowfall had begun to come down that day as he worked, blanketing the city in purifying white powder. It was peaceful, nd he was feeling pretty good as he walked in the door to see his lovely wife taking care of their youngest baby boy. 

"Honey, I'm home!" Bob shouted from the front door, dropping his suitcase on the floor. 

"Good, come carry your son to his bed." Helen unwrapped her arms from the baby and stood up, stretching her back painfully. "I'm going to need a chiropractor from this one..." It looked like she'd been trying to pick up the little bundle of steel for the last ten minutes at least. 

"I love you too honey." Bob walked up and gave her a peck on the lips before bending down to lift the steel baby with ease. "Whoa. You're getting pretty big there. That's my boy." Bob poked the child's stomach, prompting a series of giggles. 

"Don't encourage this, I have a hard enough time as it is." Helen said sharply. 

"He's just experimenting with his powers." Bob replied calmly as he walked toward the bedroom. Jack-Jack howled in fury that his attempt to avoid naptime had been thwarted by his father's great strength, but Bob just smiled and let him fall on the bed. It creaked dangerously as the heavy steel body landed on it, but the baby soon resumed his natural substance. 

"Mooooom!" Jack-Jack screamed angrily. 

"Just get some sleep kiddo, you know you want to." Bob patted the toddler's head lightly, giving him a loving smile. The baby protested loudly for a few minutes, but finally Bob managed to lull him to sleep. He turned to walk back out to the living room to hear his wife sounding frantic. 

"Oh my God..." Helen's frantic voice was soft and harsh with panic. "Okay... we'll get someone to help look for her, thank you." Bob heard the phone being placed on the hook as he emerged from the hallway and his wife whirled on him. "Bob, Violet ran away from school an hour ago." Helen said. 

"What?" Bob asked worriedly. This wasn't like their eldest child at all. "We have to go look for her." 

"I'll go look, you stay with Jack-Jack." Helen said. 

"But, I should be the one to..." Bob began. 

"I can move faster than you, I'm going to look." Helen said sternly. Bob nodded quickly. 

"Okay... I'll watch Jack-Jack. I'll send Dash out when he gets home too." Bob said. 

"Good idea... I'll let you know the second I find her." Helen turned to walk into her room, leaving Bob standing in the living room, dumbfounded. What on Earth would possess Violet to run away from her school? She was always so calm and rational... did something happen to her? Was she involved in something she never told them about? 

Bob collapsed onto the couch, feeling completely helpless. He wasn't used to this even after almost 13 years of being a father. He could control himself, he could control the city and save it daily... but he just couldn't control or save his children the same way. It crushed him more than anything. Man, he was shaking he was so nervous... 

Without even thinking he grabbed the phone and dialed, just not wanting to sit here dwelling on thoughts of Violet's possible fate. There was only one person he knew who he considered a friend and knew his secret identity... and maybe there was something unconscious in his choice as well. 

"Yes?" Mirage's voice came back over the receiver. 

"Hey..." Bob said dumbly, not really having a cover story for this call. "I was... wondering how life's been." 

"Oh, lots better thanks to you hero." Mirage replied. "I haven't been able to afford bubble bath in ages. It's amazing how much you miss the little things in life when you lose them." 

"Yeah, that's true..." Bob agreed. 

"Hey, is something wrong? I don't think I've ever heard you so down before." Mirage asked worriedly. 

"It's... it's nothing really." Bob wanted to talk, so why wasn't he? "It's just... Violet's missing." 

"Missing?" Mirage asked. 

"They said she ran away from school and hasn't been seen since." Bob said. Why was she telling Mirage this? Why did he want to? He just had to talk to someone... that was it. 

"I'm sorry to hear that. That can't be easy." Mirage said. "Is there anything I can do to help?" She asked. Bob remained silent. She could be with him, comfort him while his wife was out searching for their only daughter... God how sick those very thoughts sounded. Why was he having them? What was happening to him? "Bob? Are you still there?" 

"Yeah... I don't know, I'm sorry for bothering you. I've got to go." He hung up quickly, keeping his hand on the receiver. Not now, Not after 16 long wonderful years of marriage. He couldn't let it happen, he had to fight this... fight what? What exactly was happening? Did he even know? He was helping her... and he went to a friend when he was in need. There was nothing unfaithful about that... 

He looked up when the front door finally opened after what felt like an eternity. His wife gently guided their oldest child into the house with her hands on her shoulders. There would be time for those concerns later... now his daughter needed him.

* * *

It turned out Violet was okay... just an unexpected power-shift at an inopportune moment. Truth be told he was very proud of his eldest child. She'd stood up for her friend against pretty bad odds and didn't use her powers to give herself an edge... consciously anyway. That showed a lot of self-restraint, more than he himself probably would've shown in the same situation. 

Oddly, he found himself spending more time with Mirage over the next while. She was very sympathetic to his wrecked nerves after Violet had disappeared. Helen was obviously wracked as well, but she was busy with trying to keep order in the house, too busy to show much sympathy to Bob... man that sounded as selfish as could be. But he couldn't help his feelings. 

So somehow, two weeks later, he found himself sitting in Mirage's small kitchen, with a home-cooked lunch sitting in front of him, and the woman herself sitting across from him. She wasn't wearing anything fancy, a turtleneck sweater with two layers of sweat pants and socks to guard against the cold since the heat in this run-down place didn't work very well. 

"I hope you enjoy it." Mirage told him. "I got the recipe from the library." 

"It tastes great." Bob replied with a reassuring smile. She smiled back and they both resumed eating, casting each other furtive glances. He felt like a teenager again... but he wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. It certainly was exhilarating though. 

"They say Mr. Incredible's been doing more than his fair share of crime-fighting lately." Mirage commented, staring at him. "Any particular reason he might do that?" Bob thought about it. He always went out when he was feeling confused, and he'd been very confused very often lately. 

"Just have responsibilities." Bob half-lied. Mirage didn't look convinced, but she didn't press the issue either. 

"I've always wondered... is it like a game?" She asked. "Is going out and saving the day just something you do because you like it? Or is it something more? Something unidentifiable that tells you it's right..." 

"I... don't really know." Bob replied. "I guess it just... feels right..." 

"Does that extend to other areas...?" Mirage asked. "The feeling I mean... does it tell you what's right in love, for instance?" Her eyes bore into his. Bob remained silent, at once uncomfortable with this change of topic, and somewhat excited about what it could mean. His feelings were returned...? No, he had no feelings for her. He loved Helen... he loved Helen, and Violet, and Dash and... 

"Dash!" Bob shot up suddenly. "I just remembered, I was supposed to pick Dash up from soccer practice half an hour ago!" He turned to leave quickly, accidentally jarring the table. It slammed into Mirage's stomach, knocking the breath out of her with a 'puff'. "Sorry, I'll call you later and we'll decide on... things... and what to do." Bob quickly hustled out of the small apartment, rushing to his car. 

What kind of deadbeat father was he? Forgetting to pick up his own son while he was flirting with a woman other than his wife. He felt like such a heel. It took him another 45 minutes to reach his son's school, and when he did he found the small boy standing outside an empty soccer field, shivering in the deep snow that surrounded him. 

Bob popped the door open quickly. "I'm so sorry Dash, I didn't mean to leave you out here. I was just... occupied with work." 

"H-h-hey, don't worry about-t-t it dad." Dash shivered through his speech, giving his father a weak smile. "I'm t-tough enough." Bob turned up the heater to let the boy thaw out while he drove toward home. 

Suddenly a small earthquake rocked the car they were in, sending it hurtling about the street randomly until the rocking stopped. "What was that!?" Dash exclaimed in surprise, looking around for the source of the shockwave. 

"There." Bob pointed to where plumes of black smoke were billowing into the sky. "It looks like a fire. Come on son, you up for a little rescue mission?" 

"If it's warm, I'm there." Dash shivered. Bob sighed and drove quickly in the direction toward the flames, which were strangely in the direction of their house. They pulled up out front of their house, spotting a mountainous demonic fireball howling furiously just a few blocks away. 

"There you are, get suited up so we can go!" Helen marched out of the house quickly, wearing her red, black, and gold Elastigirl suit. 

"Yes ma'am!" Dash dashed inside the house and emerged moments later in his own superhero outfit. The boy had yet to choose a superhero identity for himself. He wanted to call himself The Dash, but that was too much of a dead giveaway to his real name. His second choice was Incrediboy, but Bob shot that one down instantly. Too many bad memories. 

"Where's Violet?" Bob asked. 

"I don't know, she's not home and we can't wait for her." Helen replied. "Now come on, we have to stop whatever this thing is." So the three heroes turned to run toward the disturbance. Jack-Jack, as usual, was staying with one of the neighbors. The fire was, literally, a massive demon that looked like molten rock that had burst into flames and emerged straight form the mouth of a volcano. A fearsome sight that set even the veteran Mr. Incredible aback. 

The sound that floated out from the demon was even worse. A scream of anguish and pain, coming from one of the demon's hands. All three family members saw her at once, and all of them screamed in unison. "INVISIGIRL!" 

Bob charged up to the demon with a furious yell, plunging his fist forward with all the strength he could bring to bear. But the demon merely stumbled. It looked over at them, then turned back to the teenage girl clutched tightly in one fiery fist. 

"Your death will come another time... when I choose." It told her before flinging her body carelessly over it shoulder. Violet's small frame flew through the air, slamming into the ground like someone had just tossed a rag doll carelessly to the floor. 

"No!" Helen screamed in fear as her daughter rolled to a stop in front of the crowd of people beyond the demon. She didn't have any more time to worry however. The demon was turning on them, bringing one fist down right on top of her. She threw herself out of the way just in time before the fist embedded itself in the street. 

"You leave my family alone!" Bob hurled himself at the demon again, leaping into the air and slamming straight into its stomach. The full force of his body had more impact, driving the demon back. 

"I got it!" Dash vanished in a red blur, slamming the full force of his body into the creature's ankle. He didn't have much weight, but with that much speed his momentum more than made up for it. Its foot flew out from under it, collapsing to its back. 

"You... YOU!..." Helen's eyes were glowing with fire as she leapt into the air, sailing up over the demon. Her fists lashed out well ahead of her, aiming straight for the creature's eyes, but the demon raised one hand and swatted her aside, sending her flying into a nearby building. 

"RAAAAAGH!" Bob let out a scream as he leapt into the air, coming down on top of the demon. The living fireball grinned and clenched its own fist, slamming it into him. He flew back into the ruined burning building, collapsing into it. He grunted and shook his head. Looking down, he was surprised to see Violet's mask lying beside him. 

He grabbed the mask and finally burst his way out of the burning building... to find that the demon was gone. He paused and looked around in amazement, but though the ground was scorched there was no sign of the monster itself. Dash was standing in the middle of the black circle on the ground, looking disturbed by something. 

"Dash? What happened? Where did it go?" Bob asked. He noticed Helen out of the corner of his eye rushing over to the crowd, where a circle was forming around the spot where Violet had landed. 

"It... it just disappeared." Dash said. His tone was surprisingly morose, but left no room for argument from his father. What the Hell happened here that the boy wouldn't talk about? Bob hadn't been buried all that long... there had to be something more. But for now, he turned to help his wife take care of his precious, wounded daughter... 

Violet had lost her mask, but her friend Lisa had removed her jacket and placed it over Violet's face to hide her identity. That helped avert a major disaster, so Bob had no problem taking the girl with them to see Edna, who would undoubtedly be able to fix up their daughter like nothing ever happened. 

That didn't stop the nervous waiting though. Hours on end, Bob sat on one of Edna's comfortable lounge chairs while his wife paced around the room. Dash refused to leave Violet's side, showing a side of himself Bob had never seen before. It made him happy though to know that they really were a close-knit family, despite what Bob himself had been thinking lately... 

"Why, why, why would she try to fight something like that without waiting for us?" Helen stuttered, her voice cracking slightly in near panic. "She knows better than that, she can't handle it on her own." She shook her head, her pace around the room quickening. "Did we do something wrong? What did we do? Maybe... when I said her power was more defensive than offensive she thought that meant-" 

"Hey, breathe." Bob stood up and approached his wife, grabbing her shoulders to stop her mad dash around the room. Helen's eyes turned to his, brimming with tears and fear. "You didn't do anything. She a Super, Helen, she's a hero. She was doing what comes naturally for her. And that Lisa girl said she saved everyone on the block. We didn't do anything wrong... we did something right. And so did she." 

"But... but she was..." Helen stuttered incomprehensibly. 

"I know..." Bob pulled her into a gentle hug, pulling her head up against his massive, strong chest. "But we should be proud of what she did, not angry that she got hurt." His wife rested against him, putting her arms around his waist and closing her eyes, nesting her head up against his chest. Bob held onto her, letting her body lie against his. 

In a moment she pulled back, looking up at her husband with her hands resting on his chest. Her eyes, free of the mask and wet with tears, reminded him of the day they'd gotten married. She gave him a small smile through her tears. "I love you, Bob." She told him softly. 

"I love you too, Helen." Bob replied. Helen stared up at him until a small red, black, and gold blur rushed into the room. 

"She's awake! She's awake!" As quickly as he'd appeared Dash was gone again into another room to let Edna and Lisa know the good news. Helen and Bob looked over at the door, then at each other for a moment before Helen turned to run away from him. She slipped out of his grasp, disappearing into the hallway that led to Violet's room. Bob watched her go for a few moments before shaking his head and moving to follow after her.

* * *

Bob felt terrible. And worse still, he felt terrible about feeling terrible. Helen was busy trying to be there for their only daughter, and he was upset that they didn't have any time alone together. When Helen wasn't worrying about Violet, Dash was going through his own problems, or Jack-Jack was awake and needed her full attention. Leaving the man of the house growing increasingly frustrated over the next few weeks. 

But Mirage was always there when he needed someone to spend time with. Her door was always open to him, and she would spend hours talking with him, listening to his problems, his concerns. He opened up more and more until it felt like they were old friends... no, he was fooling himself there. He knew what he felt like, and that only made him feel worse. 

Even Christmas morning couldn't lighten his spirits. He climbed out of bed with his wife, neither of them saying anything, and marched their way downstairs so their children could rip open the presents underneath the tree. Bob noted that several presents had already been opened and hastily rewrapped, but he didn't really mind. He sat down on his comfortable chair while his wife sat down on the floor with Jack-Jack to help him open his present. 

He felt distant, even though Dash literally threw himself on his father with glee. "Thank you thank you!" He dashed off again to go figure out how his new toy worked. Violet was more subdued as she smiled up at her father, then over at his mother, who was dangling a small stuffed bear in front of their third born son. Jack-Jack laughed in glee, batting at it like a piñata. 

When the opening of the presents was over, Bob stood up, but Helen stood up as well, letting the toddler play with his toy. "Bob, we need to talk. In our room." Her voice was sweet, but he knew Violet and Dash were within earshot. So he turned silently to follow her into their room, where she shut and locked the door. 

"Is something wrong honey?" When Bob turned around he saw his wife holding up the note Mirage had given her with her phone number on it. He'd thought he lost it weeks ago... 

"I called this." Helen said stiffly. "I know that voice." Bob remained silent, just staring at his wife numbly. "Bob... I trust you. Tell me what's going on." Bob remained silent. "Tell me it's not what it looks like... tell me you're not fraternizing with another woman... let alone the woman who murdered all of our old friends. Well?" Bob didn't respond. "Answer me damnit!" Helen demanded. "Just tell me it's not what it looks like." 

"I have to go..." Bob said numbly. His wife's eyes narrowed, and he knew he'd just made a mistake. But he wouldn't do it... he wouldn't lie now, of all times. He didn't think it was what she thought it was... but somehow he knew he was always thinking what she was. He moved past her silently, pushing the door open and walking out to the living room where his kids were still playing. 

"Kids, I'm going out for a little while on patrol. I just need to make sure nobody's committing any crimes during the holiday celebrations." He told them. 

"Can I come!?" Dash asked excitedly. 

"No, Dash, you stay here and play with your presents." He leaned down and pulled the boy into a hug. "I'll be back when I finish my patrol." He said. 

"When will that be?" Dash asked. 

"I don't know..." Bob smiled slightly and patted his head. "You're the man of the house until I get back, okay?" 

"O... kay..." Dash sounded unsure, but Bob just smiled and stood up, turning to head towards the door. He passed Lisa on his way out toward his car. Where would he go now that Helen had figured him out? Surely he wouldn't run to the woman Helen was accusing him of being unfaithful with... yes soon he found himself sitting on her couch. 

"Wine, Mr. Incredible?" Mirage walked up to him, holding out a small glass of liquid. She still lived in the same apartment, but the money Bob had given her greatly improved her way of life over the last few weeks. The heat now worked, she had several new pieces of furniture, and Bob had even helped her repaint her home with a fresh coat, so that it was now solid deep purple. 

"Thank you." Bob took the glass and sipped at it, leaning back on the couch. Mirage sat down beside him, watching the liquid in her glass turn as she spun it around. "I really wanted to thank you. You've been a great help to me over the last few weeks... it just feels like..." 

"Like you're being forgotten by the one you love..." Mirage said softly. Bob looked over at her, and she looked back. "I'm no inexperienced young woman... I've been around the block a few times. I know how you've been feeling... I've been there before." She smiled slightly and reached out to pat his broad, muscular shoulder. "It hurts... but you're strong..." 

"What hurts most is that I... I'm betraying her..." He told her. 

"Are you... or did she push you away?" Mirage asked rhetorically. "Would you be here if she were doing her duties as a wife...?" 

"But I-" 

"Ssshhhh..." Mirage put her hand over his lips lightly, staring at his eyes. "It's okay... you don't have to feel guilty. Everyone needs love... even Mr. Incredible." She leaned in slowly... and he didn't fight her. Her lips pressed against his, her lithe, increasingly fleshed out body moving up against his pleasantly. It had been weeks... maybe even months since Bob and Helen had made love. The stress of everything happening to their children was taking its toll on their relationship. He couldn't stand it anymore... he couldn't fight the urges.

* * *

That evening, Bob was a ball of conflicting emotions, until he just wanted to feel completely numb. He could feel Mirage lying in the bed beside him, her body still pressed up against his underneath the sheets. She'd fallen asleep after a day full of Christmas celebrations. A small gift exchange, lunch, dinner, and more lovemaking than Bob had seen in a very, very long time. 

He sat up, watching the moonlight filter in through the window in Mirage's bedroom. Mirage stirred as he moved, looking up at him from the bed. "What's on your mind?" She asked curiously. 

"I need to get out of here..." He stood up from the bed, looking about for his clothes. Mirage watched from the bed as he got dressed, sitting up and holding the blanket up over her chest. 

"You regret this, don't you?" Mirage asked. Bob remained silent. "Well don't... you have nothing to be guilty about. Love is give and take... if she's not giving, what are you supposed to do?" 

"Not this..." Bob finished getting dressed and looked back at her. "I'm sorry... but I can't do this anymore." 

"I understand." Mirage nodded. "You do what you feel you have to do. Whether it includes me or not." She didn't look all that upset about it. 

"Thanks for everything..." Bob turned to leave through the front door, running out to his car and hopping in to drive himself home quickly. The dark Winter night didn't help his heavy conscience heal as he drove. He'd done it... he'd gone that extra step toward being the worst person on the face of the planet. Worst of all, he'd enjoyed every second of it. 

He reached his home in short order, surprised to find the front door hanging wide open. "Honey?" He walked inside and looked around, but the only people he saw were Lisa and Jack-Jack, sitting in the middle of the floor. "Lisa? What's going on?" 

"Violet's out there, we ran into that big fire thing while we were walking to my house. It attacked her." She said frantically. Bob was fixing to rush out after them, but before he could move Violet walked in the door with Helen and Dash behind her, walking shakily, but still under her own power. "Violet!" Lisa jumped up and ran to hug her friend tightly. "Oh my God, are you okay!?" 

"I'm okay... I got rid of it..." Violet's voice was shaking in weakness, but there was a tinge of pride contained within it. "He won't come back again..." She leaned against her friend tiredly, holding onto her. Bob smiled slightly in relief and looked up at his wife, but Helen refused to look at him, instead focusing on their daughter. 

"Come on honey, I'll help you get ready for bed. You should get home before you get in trouble Lisa." Helen told Violet's young friend. Lisa nodded. 

"I'll see you at school tomorrow Violet. You just rest up... and thank you for saving me." She smiled and squeezed Violet one last time before turning to leave. Then Helen ushered Dash into the back to get him into bed while she helped take care of Violet, once again leaving Bob alone as it seemed like she had been for a long time now. 

Bob sighed and rubbed his head as he walked into the bedroom he and his wife shared. He pulled his clothes off down to his boxers and climbed into it, curling up into a helpless little ball. He didn't deserve her now... she would never accept him again. Maybe he should go back to Mirage... she wouldn't leave him like he was sure Helen would when she found out... 

These disturbing thoughts lulled him into a furtive, and restless sleep. One plagued by images, thoughts... they almost felt like memories, but he was sure he'd never seen them before. He saw Mirage standing as she had a year ago... and his wife staring at him. Her face was so full of fear and pain... she was crying... horrified to see him... 

He was hurting her... stalking her, hunting her. She desperately tried to avoid him, but he wouldn't stop. His fists flew, slamming into her, sending her flying, throwing her. She was in so much pain... he was hurting her, why was he doing this? He wanted to stop... stop hurting the woman he loved... but no matter how much he wanted to he just couldn't. 

Finally he shot up in bed, screaming in fear. "STOP!" He screamed as he sat up. He felt his entire body shaking uncontrollably, and tears were streaming down his face. What time was it? It was almost 5:00 AM the next morning. Looking up, he saw Helen standing over her in her bathrobe, lifting one hand to run it across his cheek. There were tear-streaks under her eyes. 

"Bob..." She said softly before her voice caught in her throat. 

"What...?" Bob gulped, then looked down and lifted one hand to wipe at his eyes. "I had... the worst dream." As hard as he tried, he couldn't stop his body was shivering. "I dreamed I was... hurting you..." He tried to stop them, but a fresh wave of tears flowed down his cheeks. "Helen, I'm so sorry... I did... I know I can't excuse it but..." 

"Ssshhhh..." Helen grabbed him and held him tightly, resting his head against her chest and stroking the back of his head. "I know honey... I know everything..." She sniffled. "You're not the only one to blame... I'm sorry I made you feel that way..." Her hands ran through his hair and over his muscular back. He was still shivering in her arms. "I promise, I won't do it again..." 

"You know what I did... and you don't... hate me...?" Bob asked. "I mean the dream... it just felt like I was hurting you so bad..." He shook his head. "It must've been how I felt... I didn't want to Helen..." 

"I know you didn't..." Helen said softly. "Don't worry, it was just a dream..." She kissed the top of his head tenderly. "You didn't hurt me... it was just a dream..." Bob couldn't shake the feeling that there was something in her voice... something that she wasn't about to tell him. He wanted to ask, but he didn't have any right to question her right now after what he did. At least it seemed like things were better now... he wouldn't have to worry about losing his wife, and he would never, ever, be unfaithful to her again... 

THE END 


	3. Mind Games

Mind Games 

A year had passed since the battle against Syndrome that had brought about another stir of heroism. Supers were once again revered as protectors and peace givers, and her family was free to protect the city, as it seemed they were destined to do all along. Their powers were surely gifts to be used with restraint and responsibility any time there was need. Though as a mother of three, she found it difficult to find time to save the world. Her kids needed enough saving. 

So Helen Parr usually found herself managing home-life even though they were once again allowed to be superheroes, while her husband Bob did all the world saving. She didn't mind really, her family was more important to her than anything, though she did occasionally get the urge to go out and kick some butt. She still went out when something big happened though. 

"Who's the Dash? I'm the Dash!" Dash shouted at the top of his lungs as he streaked through the living room at full speed. Helen has to lunge to the side to avoid her hyper-paced second-born child. Her daughter Violet looked up irritably from her book. 

"Violet, hurry up and get going, you're going to be late for school." Helen reminded her daughter as she walked through the house with a little waddling form running along behind her to keep up. Jack-Jack's powers seemed to be growing every day, making him almost as much of a handful as Dash was at that age. Though nothing would ever compare to trying to keep up with a 30 MPH toddler. 

"Yeah I'm going." Violet grumped as she slapped her book shut and pushed herself up from the chair. Before she could take a single step Dash raced through the room. 

"Lova ya bye mom see ya!" He vanished out the front door. 

"Hey, no superpowers at school! I MEAN IT!" Helen screamed after her son, though he was probably too far away to hear by now. Helen sighed and put her hand on her forehead. "That boy is going to be the death of me..." 

Violet chuckled and walked up to kiss her mother on the cheek. "See you after school mom." 

"Have a good day honey." Helen smiled back. She watched her eldest child leave, then looked down at Jack-Jack's smiling, giggling face near her leg. "You're never going to be blatantly displaying your powers in public, are you?" The baby giggled, as if finding the very thought of self-restraint funny. "I thought so." Helen leaned down and picked up her giggling child. 

It was strange, her husband still had a day job, because superheroes were required to have one to cover their identities, but she'd never known him to leave as much as he had been lately. It wasn't much, just an hour or two every few days, but the pattern was still there. He claimed it was for work... but the last time he'd said that was when he was sneaking off to work for that damned woman and her psychopathic boss Syndrome... 

She trusted that he wouldn't be stupid enough to fall for the same trick twice though, so she tried to ignore it. After all, aside from being used by some evil mastermind, he could've been... but he wouldn't. He loved his family... she knew that. 

So she put it out of her mind for the rest of the day, feeding, changing, and bathing her infant son. It came easy after two other kids, though his powers got very annoying. He kept turning into a living fireball and running from her, threatening to burn the entire house to the ground. But by now she'd started carrying a spray-bottle filled with water around to put out the flames. 

Finally she cornered him in the living room. "You are going to take a nap, Jack-Jack. It's way past time." She told him reasonably. "You'll feel so much better." 

"Noooooo!" The baby howled up at her, his body beginning to glimmer in the light. Helen grabbed him and pulled... but the kid weighed a ton. His entire body was made of steel. 

She could hurl bad guys through the air like so many logs, but she was struggling furiously to lift her third-born child off the carpet. The solid-steel baby just refused to move. "Come on Jack-Jack, you need to take your nap now!" Helen strained, her arms wrapped around the baby like twin lassos but still unable to move him. The baby was yelling back at her, batting at her arms with his two rattles angrily. 

"Honey, I'm home!" The booming voice of her husband Bob sounded from the front door. 

"Good, come carry your son to his bed." Helen unwrapped her arms from the baby and stood up, stretching her back painfully. "I'm going to need a chiropractor from this one..." 

"I love you too honey." Bob walked up and gave her a peck on the lips before bending down to lift the steel baby with ease. "Whoa. You're getting pretty big there. That's my boy." Bob poked the child's stomach, prompting a series of giggles. 

"Don't encourage this, I have a hard enough time as it is." Helen said sharply. 

"He's just experimenting with his powers." Bob replied calmly as he walked toward the bedroom. 

"Well YOU don't have to deal with these experiments. I had to put out three fires today alone!" Helen shouted after him. When he disappeared into their son's room she sighed and put a hand to her forehead. She knew it was best for the boy to learn how to use his powers young, but that didn't make things easier on her. She almost wished she wasn't a Super sometimes. Regular kids weren't nearly so much trouble. 

The phone rang, so she made her way over to it and picked it up. "Parr residence, this is Helen." 

"Mrs. Parr." The voice of her daughter's school principal said from the other side of the phone. "I'm afraid there's been a bit of an incident with your daughter." 

"An incident? What happened? Is she okay?" 

"Reports say she's fine. She got in a fight with one of her fellow students and knocked him out, then disappeared. We've searched the campus thoroughly, but we can't find her. We believe she must have left school grounds. Her friend said she looked panicked about something when she ran away from the scene." The principal replied. 

"Oh my God..." Helen muttered. "Okay... we'll get someone to help look for her, thank you." Helen hung up as Bob emerged from the back of the house. "Bob, Violet ran away from school an hour ago." Helen said. 

"What?" Bob asked worriedly. "We have to go look for her." 

"I'll go look, you stay with Jack-Jack." Helen said. 

"But, I should be the one to..." Bob began. 

"I can move faster than you, I'm going to look." Helen said sternly. Bob nodded quickly. 

"Okay... I'll watch Jack-Jack. I'll send Dash out when he gets home too." Bob said. 

"Good idea... I'll let you know the second I find her." Helen turned to walk into her room, changing quickly into her red and black superhero suit, donning her black mask last before opening the window and pulling herself up to the roof of the building. 

She leapt across to the other side of the street, stretching across and grabbing the edge of the roof with her arms to pull the rest of herself across. She moved quickly across the city this way in the direction of Violet's school. Soon the school hove into view and she dropped down beside the front entrance. Several students turned to watch in surprise as she walked inside and made her way to the Principal's office. 

The Principal and a teenage girl both looked up when she entered. "Elastigirl?" The principal exclaimed in surprise. "What are you doing here?" 

"A friend asked me to help with the search for Violet." Helen half-lied. "I just came to find out what exactly happened." 

"Well, this is our primary witness, Lisa Keenan." The principal gestured to the girl, who smiled weakly up at the superhero. 

"Tell me what happened." Helen said. 

"Well... I was throwing snowballs around because it's my favorite part of Winter, but I accidentally hit the stupid bully Andrew. He threatened to beat me up for it, but Violet stopped him, so he slapped her across the face." Lisa took a moment to calm down, as her speech had been growing more frantic with each word. "Then she got up and hit him and... and I don't know, it was like she was wearing steel gloves or something. She knocked him out cold... then gave me the strangest look." 

"What kind of look?" Helen asked. 

"I don't know... it was like she was totally terrified... then she turned and just ran away." Lisa shook her head worriedly. "I hope she's okay..." 

"I'll make sure she is." Helen smiled and patted the girls' shoulder. "I'm going to look for her right now, so you don't worry about it." 

"Thanks Elastigirl..." Lisa smiled up at her. Helen smiled back, then moved to jump out the principal's window and make her way back into the city. In truth, with Violet's powers, searching for her when she didn't want to be found was completely useless. But there wasn't much else she could do, the tracking devices had been removed from the suits for fear harmful forces could discover the frequency and track them. 

"Come on Violet... where are you..." Helen muttered worriedly as she leapt and swung through the city, keeping an eye out for any sign of her precious daughter. She stopped in mid-swinging, grabbing the flagpole she was hanging on to stop herself when she saw a green backpack sitting next to an alley nearby. She flung herself to the alley and knelt down beside the backpack. 

It contained all of Violet's schoolbooks and the clothes she'd worn to school that morning. So she was using her powers to hide. But the snow made it difficult to disappear completely, as she could see a set of footprints leading away from the backpack further into the alley. 

Helen followed them, but they stopped at a fire escape that extended up to the top of the building. Helen quickly scaled it, skipping over the ladders until she reached the roof and flung herself onto it. She moved out into the center of the roof... and could hear a soft sobbing sound nearby. The footsteps in the otherwise fresh snow led up to a spot on the edge of the building, where a patch of snow had been cleared off of the edge. 

"Violet... honey?" Helen said softly, moving toward the ledge. The sobs stopped, and she heard Violet's boots scrape against the ledge. "Wait, I'm not angry... it's okay." 

"I didn't mean to..." Violet's shaking voice insisted. 

"I know you didn't sweety." Helen replied. "I heard the story from Lisa... it's not your fault." 

"I don't even kn... know what happened..." Violet appeared on the ledge, wearing her Invisigirl outfit, which matched the outfits of the rest of her family. "I was just trying to keep him from hitting Lisa, I didn't mean to... I didn't even know I could..." 

"Sshhh... come here sweety." Helen said. Violet looked at her, then stepped off the ledge and into her mother's arms. Helen wrapped her up in a tight hug, holding her close. "It's okay, nobody's angry at you... it was just an accident..." She cooed. 

"But I revealed... I mean they know..." Violet said. 

"No, they don't. They didn't see anything. It's okay. Your secret's still safe." Helen told her. "Now come home with me, tell us exactly what happened, and I'll make you something warm to drink, okay?" She ran her hand over her daughter's cheek to wipe away a tear. Violet nodded slowly, sniffling away her tears. The snow continued to fall across the city, unaffected by the trauma of the day.

* * *

Violet's powers were evolving beyond their previous limitations. It was part of what a Super went through when they grew up, but Helen knew that didn't help ease the shock of it. Especially to discover it as Violet did must have been a bit of a shock. She was careful to keep a close eye on her only daughter for the next few weeks, and she did notice a change in her attitude. She'd been opening up more and more... but now she was drawing back into her old shell. 

Meanwhile, it seemed like Bob disappeared more often for longer periods of time. It was getting difficult for Helen to ignore; he just seemed to disappear whenever he had a few free hours. Even apart from that though, she could tell things were changing between them. He was spending his time at work or wherever he went, while she took care of the kids. Well, she had a responsibility to them. She couldn't just ditch them to spend time with her husband. 

And Dash... little, hyper-ball Dash. The boy had been so good about staying out of trouble for the last year, but since Violet's disappearance scare he'd been coming home with notes every other day complaining about disruptive behavior. Helen figured it was just nerves over Violet's disappearance, but finally after the fifth note requested her presence at school she had to do something about it. 

"Dash..." Helen sighed, looking past the note at her young son, who had a puppy-dog smile on his face. "What's happening? You've been so good." 

"It's not my fault." Dash complained. "This bully keeps attacking me, so I have to fight back don't I? So I kick his butt and I get in trouble for it! And then he does it again the next day! He's TRYING to get me in trouble I know it!" 

"Dash, what aren't you telling me?" Helen demanded. 

"Nothing!" Dash insisted. "It's the truth! They're all out to get me or something, I know it!" 

"Well, they got you, and me too." Helen said as she pulled on a jacket to guard against the Winter chill. "We have a parent-teacher conference with your teacher tonight." 

"Do we have to go?" Dash asked hopefully. 

"It's that or expulsion, and I won't have that." Helen tossed the boy his jacket, then went into the back to knock on Violet's door. Her daughter opened the door, looking a bit tired and weary, but she was going through kind of a tough time. "Would you watch Jack-Jack for a few minutes, Violet?" Helen asked. 

"Sure, what's going on?" Violet asked curiously. 

"Don't worry about it, me and Dash will be back soon." Helen turned to leave, grabbing Dash's hand as she passed and dragging the boy out the door. He put up some resistance, but she wrapped her arm around him and lifted him into the air, taking his feet off the ground and thus disabling his power. Dash yelled in protest, but she just put him in the car and climbed in after him, driving toward his school. 

When they reached the school Helen grabbed her son's hand and walked into the school. He stopped resisting finally, walking along beside her as they walked into the principal's officer, where both his principal and teacher were waiting. 

"Mrs. Parr, it's good that you could make it." The principal said. 

"I wish I could say I'm happy to be here but..." Helen trailed off. Both men chuckled, a good sign that nothing was TOO wrong. 

"We just want to talk." Dash's teacher gestured to the pair of chairs sitting in front of the principal's desk. Helen sat down, pulling her son into the seat beside her. "Mrs. Parr, we're afraid your son has been lashing out frequently as of late... and we were wondering if anything might have happened at home to cause it." He asked bluntly. 

Yes, there was, but nothing Helen could reveal. When Dash had found out about Violet's outburst at school, he'd been shocked... then he just seemed to withdraw. She thought he was just dealing with it, but then why would he be lashing out at school? Was there more to it? 

Her son remained stonily silent though. "No... I can't think of anything. Do you have any ideas?" Helen asked. 

"Frankly no. We've questioned him repeatedly, but he keeps insisting that someone else is pushing his buttons. We've tried to reason with him, but he won't listen. Today he insisted that a boy half his size was trying to punch him, so he felt the need to beat him to the ground until he stopped fighting back." The principal shook his head. "This is the most violent outburst yet, and they're getting worse. So we'd like you to see to him. If you can't, we have no choice but to expel him." 

"I understand." Helen looked down at her son, but he still refused to meet her gaze. "Thanks for telling me about this." 

"We hope we can work something out. Dash is a bright young boy and it would be a shame to waste such potential." Dash's teacher said. 

"I'll take care of it." Helen nodded and stood up. "Come on Dash, we've got to get home before Jack-Jack drives your sister insane." 

"Wouldn't possibly want that." Dash muttered as they turned to leave the school. After Helen got them both in the car on their way home Helen spoke. 

"Dash, what-" 

"Just shut up." Dash surprised his mother. "You don't believe me, so why should I bother?" 

"You should bother because I am your mother and you won't be beating innocent kids to the ground anymore." Helen snapped back. "Honestly Dash, I never expected anything like that from you." 

"He was attacking me." Dash replied angrily. "I keep saying that!" 

"Well next time some kid attacks you, go tell a teacher, alright?" Helen retorted. "I don't care if he puts you in a headlock and tries to slam you to the ground, you don't beat other kids like that. You get away from him and tell someone. Do I make myself clear?" Dash muttered something. "Do I make myself clear Dashiel Parr?" 

"Crystal..." Dash said venomously. The rest of the ride home was besieged by a thick, tense silence. Helen hated it, but she couldn't afford to let Dash do this. She tried reasoning with him, and there were times when a good mother had to be tough. That didn't make it easy, but it was still necessary to make sure he made the right decisions. 

The next few days passed without incident, with Violet keeping to herself, Bob making his daily disappearances, and Dash keeping on at school. Bless the boy's heart, Helen knew he was trying, but it was like something kept goading him into fighting. She wouldn't have believed it if she hadn't see him at a supermarket, swiping at someone in the checkout line yelling about threats. She silently considered therapy, but she wouldn't go that far unless she ran out of alternatives. 

Of course, there were still the messes of every day life to take care of before that. She was just leaving the supermarket with a bag of groceries and Jack-Jack when it seemed like a massive explosion erupted in the city with enough force to almost knock her off her feet. Jack-Jack screamed in fear. "Ssshhhh, don't worry honey. Mommy'll take care of it..." 

Helen rushed to her car and hopped in, keeping track of the billowing black smoke in the distance as she rushed toward her house. She drove quickly to the home of one of their superhero partners, currently out of town, and rang the doorbell. A kindly woman with black skin opened the door. 

"Oh, Helen. I'm afraid my husband isn't home right now." She said. Her husband was Bob's best friend Frozone, but he was gone on a business trip... which meant he was busy saving the world elsewhere. 

"Just keep an eye on Jack-Jack for me, something big is happening." Helen said. Indeed, the fireball still loomed far too large in the distance. 

"Oh... okay..." The woman took the baby from her. 

"Thanks, I'll be back for him soon!" Helen ran back to her car, jumped in, and took off toward her home. She found it empty, but took the chance to change into her Elastigirl outfit. When she emerged again she was just in time to see Bob and Dash pull up against the curb in Bob's car. 

"There you are, get suited up so we can go!" Helen marched out of the house quickly, wearing her red, black, and gold Elastigirl suit. 

"Yes ma'am!" Dash dashed inside the house and emerged moments later in his own superhero outfit. The boy had yet to choose a superhero identity for himself. He wanted to call himself The Dash, but that was too much of a dead giveaway to his real name. His second choice was Incrediboy, but Bob shot that one down instantly. 

"Where's Violet?" Bob asked. 

"I don't know, she's not home and we can't wait for her." Helen replied. "Now come on, we have to stop whatever this thing is." So the three heroes turned to run toward the disturbance. The fire was, literally, a massive demon that looked like molten rock that had burst into flames and emerged straight form the mouth of a volcano. A fearsome sight that set even the veteran Elastigirl aback. 

The sound that floated out from the demon was even worse. A scream of anguish and pain, coming from one of the demon's hands. All three family members saw her at once, and all of them screamed in unison. "INVISIGIRL!" 

Bob charged up to the demon with a furious yell, plunging his fist forward with all the strength he could bring to bear. But the demon merely stumbled. It looked over at them, then turned back to the teenage girl clutched tightly in one fiery fist. 

"Your death will come another time... when I choose." It told her before flinging her body carelessly over it shoulder. Violet's small frame flew through the air, slamming into the ground like someone had just tossed a rag doll carelessly to the floor. 

"No!" Helen screamed in fear as her daughter rolled to a stop in front of the crowd of people beyond the demon. She didn't have any more time to worry however. The demon was turning on them, bringing one fist down right on top of her. She threw herself out of the way just in time before the fist embedded itself in the street. 

"You leave my family alone!" Bob hurled himself at the demon again, leaping into the air and slamming straight into its stomach. The full force of his body had more impact, driving the demon back. 

"I got it!" Dash vanished in a red blur, slamming the full force of his body into the creature's ankle. He didn't have much weight, but with that much speed his momentum more than made up for it. Its foot flew out from under it, collapsing to its back. 

"You... YOU!..." Helen's eyes were glowing with fire as she leapt into the air, sailing up over the demon. Her fists lashed out well ahead of her, aiming straight for the creature's eyes, but the demon raised one hand and swatted her aside, sending her flying into a nearby building. The side of the building shattered, allowing her to roll into a nicely furnished apartment. 

"Uuugh..." Helen groaned and rolled to her hands and knees, rubbing her head. "That hurt... that really, really hurt..." She pushed herself up to her hands and knees, wobbling somewhat from the force of the blow. Her husband could take a freight train unphased, but she couldn't. She'd bounce off of it, but that didn't keep it from hurting. 

She stumbled back to the opening in the wall as quickly as she could get her bearings again... but the towering inferno was gone. She saw the crowd of people, gathering around the unconscious form of her only daughter, and Dash standing in the street looking dazed and confused. Helen thought to go to him, but when she saw Bob emerged from another building heading toward him, she oriented on her daughter. 

Leaping from the building, she landed in a crouch and took off at a run, breaking through the crowd as fast as she could to reach Invisigirl. When she arrived she saw the teenage girl from a few weeks ago, Lisa, holding her jacket over Violet's face. The girl was shivering in the Winter cold, which now returned now that the flame-demon was gone. 

"She... she saved us." Lisa's teeth chattered slightly. 

Helen knelt down and picked up Violet, standing in the middle of the ground. Lisa stood with her to make sure the jacket didn't fall free. "Everyone move, we have an emergency here!" She marched through the crowd, which parted to let her through. Violet was limp in her arms, and barely breathing. She didn't know how long the girl would last... and she didn't want to find out. 

So they took her as quickly as possible to the domicile of Edna Mode, a somewhat eccentric old woman who was the best friend a superhero could have. She not only created almost every superhero costume there was, but she also tended to their medical needs when their wounds were too great to pass off as daily accidents or diseases. 

"Why, why, why would she try to fight something like that without waiting for us?" Helen stuttered, her voice cracking slightly in near panic. She was pacing around Edna's lounger nervously, her hands wringing together with nervousness. "She knows better than that, she can't handle it on her own." She shook her head, her pace around the room quickening. "Did we do something wrong? What did we do? Maybe... when I said her power was more defensive than offensive she thought that meant-" 

"Hey, breathe." Her husband stood up and approached her, grabbing her shoulders to stop her mad dash around the room. Helen's eyes turned to his, overflowing with tears and fear. In his eyes, she found a comforting pride. "You didn't do anything. She's a Super, Helen, she's a hero. She was doing what comes naturally for her. And that Lisa girl said she saved everyone on the block. We didn't do anything wrong... we did something right. And so did she." 

"But... but she was..." Helen stuttered incomprehensibly. 

"I know..." Bob pulled her into a gentle hug, pulling her head up against his massive, strong chest. "But we should be proud of what she did, not angry that she got hurt." His wife rested against him, putting her arms around his waist and closing her eyes, nesting her head up against his chest. She felt his massively strong arms wrap around her, as if protecting her from the world. 

In a moment she pulled back, looking up at her husband with her hands resting on his chest. His eyes said more than she'd heard or seen in months. A deep emotional bond, a sorry mixed with love. And she found herself returning that love, despite her suspicions. She gave him a small smile through her tears. "I love you, Bob." She told him softly. 

"I love you too, Helen." Bob replied. Helen stared up at him until a small red, black, and gold blur rushed into the room. 

"She's awake! She's awake!" As quickly as he'd appeared Dash was gone again into another room to let Edna and Lisa know the good news. Helen and Bob looked over at the door, then at each other for a moment before Helen turned to run away from him. She slipped out of his grasp, letting his strong arms fall away from her as she ran. She wanted him desperately... but her daughter was still in danger. Maybe when she knew Violet was safe, she could get her husband back to the way they were...

* * *

Helen's wish to spend time with her husband seemed to have gone ungranted, because she spent the next two days looking after her wounded daughter. Though once she went to school Helen thought she would have more time to spend with Bob, but he began to disappear more and more until she wondered whether he wasn't secretly flying to Mars and back. And though Dash's teacher's notes thinned, he still occasionally brought one home... and usually tried to hide it in his closet. 

Helen was especially surprised when her daughter walked into the kitchen one day, hunched over and limping slightly. Helen watched curiously as her daughter pulled a can of soda out of the fridge, and put it under her shirt against the bare skin underneath. "Violet... are you okay?" Helen asked as her daughter tried to retreat to the living room. But Helen followed. 

"I'll be fine mom... just some divine retribution for my outburst a few weeks ago I guess." Violet smirked and shook her head as she spoke. Helen approached and sat down beside her, looking at her seriously. 

"That Andrew boy? Didn't you tell anyone?" She asked. 

"Like anybody would care. Even the principal is scared of me." Violet smirked. "He would probably find it hilarious." She looked down as she pulled the soda out from under her shirt and popped it open to take a swig. "Everyone at that school hates me..." She didn't even say it like a self-pitying or paranoid statement. It seemed like a simple fact of her life. 

For all that she wanted to comfort her daughter, she didn't know how. "I'm sure it'll all blow over..." Her mom smiled and squeezed her shoulder comfortingly. "And you'll forget it ever happened..." she wished she could do more, but found herself completely helpless... 

So she could only watch her daughter come home, day after day, with new bruises and moving stiffer than the day before. She wanted to scream, to fight, to go to the school and demand that something be done... but she couldn't. Violet was depressed enough about being unable to defend herself, if Helen rushed to her rescue she might never recover. She had to fight this battle on her own. 

So the weeks to Christmas Eve passed, to find Helen still trapped in a cocoon of helplessness while Bob ran away and Dash seemed to be fighting with himself somehow. Violet, fortunately, seemed to take care of her problem at last, and even invited Lisa to spend part of Christmas Day with them after turning her away in Edna's villa. It was good to see her daughter looking good... but things would not be so good for Helen. 

Underneath a couch in the living room as she cleaned up the floors, she found a small piece of paper with nothing but a phone number written on it. Bob, Dash and Violet were all out, so Helen took a moment while Jack-Jack slept to head into the kitchen and called the number. The ringer buzzed time and time again, until finally someone answered. 

"Hello?" A hauntingly familiar voice came back across the receiver. For a moment Helen doubted her own ears, but the voice spoke again, erasing all doubt. "Is anybody there? This better not be another Goddamn prank call." Mirage grumped. Slowly Helen hung up the phone, staring down at it. She couldn't believe it... all this time Bob HAD been running to another woman. And THAT woman no less... what was he thinking? 

"We're back." Bob shouted as he entered the house with Violet and Dash behind them, after catching a Christmas Eve sports event down at Violet's school. Helen walked into the living room, watching the two kids chatter about the game while Bob lumbered past them to his chair, with a surprisingly morose... almost distant look in his eyes. 

Helen had a mind to go after him, but she would hold her tongue at least until after Christmas. The kids looked happy to have their father around for a change, and she didn't want to ruin that by starting a yelling match right this second. So she stuffed the small note in one of her pockets and walked into the living room to offer her family some drinks. 

Christmas Eve faded into night, and Helen tried her best to get some sleep. Bob was beside her, though they slept as far from each other as they could. Her sleep was fitful, and Helen didn't feel rested at all when she was woken up at six AM by the sound of the kids sneaking their way downstairs. Bob heard it too, sitting up and letting out a yawn. 

They both climbed out of bed silently and made their way to the living room. Violet had set Jack-Jack down in front of his present, where he was gleefully beating on the box, while she moved to collect her own. Helen moved to help Jack-Jack actually open his present, though honestly he looked like he would rather just rumple the paper. 

"Look inside." Helen said gently as she set the baby in her lap and started unwrapping the present. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Bob sitting in his comfortable, watching the proceedings with a gaze that didn't exactly scream 'Christmas spirit'. He was probably thinking about HER... while his own family was sitting in front of him depending on him to be a father. 

Finally Helen set Jack-Jack on the floor with his stuffed bear and stood up. "Bob, we need to talk. In our room." She tried to keep her tone light, but Bob, Violet, and Dash all turned to look at her solemnly. Bob didn't argue, just nodded and turned to walk into their room. Helen followed, closing and locking the door behind her. 

"Is something wrong honey?" When Bob turned around Helen was already holding up the phone-number she'd collected from the couch the previous day. Bob just stared at it in surprise, then looked past it at her face. He looked confused and guilty, but that wasn't enough for her. 

"I called this." Helen said stiffly. "I know that voice." Bob remained silent, just staring at her numbly. "Bob... I trust you. Tell me what's going on." Bob remained silent. "Tell me it's not what it looks like... tell me you're not fraternizing with another woman... let alone the woman who murdered all of our old friends. Well?" Bob didn't respond. "Answer me damnit!" Helen demanded. "Just tell me it's not what it looks like." 

"I have to go..." Bob said numbly. Helen's eyes narrowed in distrust, but didn't move to stop her husband as he turned to move past her. He was running to her... Helen had no doubt... he was leaving his family and running to a psychopathic genocidal witch. How could he do this to them? She wanted to collapse to her knees and cry... but she wouldn't her children still needed her. 

So she took a deep breath, composed herself as much as possible, and walked back out to the living room. Of course Bob was gone, but the kids though confused didn't seem to catch on to anything major happening. That was for the best, and Helen sat down with her third born son again to extract him from the wad of wrapping paper he'd buried himself in. 

She tried to get some Christmas cheer back as they day progressed. Violet's friend Lisa showed up around two PM, a fact that seemed to make Dash at once giddy and uncomfortable. He spent most of the day avoiding her, though he kept casting furtive glances at her. Ah she remembered being that age. The yucky/attraction phase. 

By that evening she was able to forget about Bob and focus on the remainder of her family, even singing a Christmas carol softly to herself as she prepared Christmas dinner. "Hark the Herald angels siiing..." She sang. 

"Glory to my Christmas Presents." Dash finished from beside her. 

"You know it's not too late to take those back." Helen told him snidely. 

"Oh you can't resist this face mom, no matter what my attitude is like." Dash flashed her his best charming boy smile. Helen chuckled and shook her head. 

"I've resisted it before. Now go set the table please." Helen said. Dash nodded and moved off to accomplish his assigned task. Helen focused on her cooking until she heard Violet from the living room. 

"I'm gonna walk Lisa home, I'll be back in a few minutes." Violet called into the kitchen. 

"Don't be too long honey." Helen shouted back. 

"I won't." Violet replied. Helen listened to her daughter leave the house as Dash walked back into the kitchen, having completed his chore in record time. He looked into the living room, then frowned. 

"Where's Lisa?" Dash asked. 

"She went home." Helen hid her smirk as the boy sighed and hung his shoulders. "Come on, why don't you help me with dinner?" She patted the boys head and guided him up to a can of corn, setting the can opener in front of him. He took to trying to pry it open while she went back to her food preparations, but they didn't last much longer. 

"Mrs. Parr!" Lisa's voice shouted from the living room as the door was flung open. "Mrs. Parr where are you!?" 

"Lisa?" Helen walked into the living room. "What's going on?" 

"Violet's being attacked by that demon from before! It just came out of nowhere! She hid me, then ran off to lead it away." Lisa was shaking in fear, her wide eyes shooting every which way. 

"Dash, get-" Helen didn't even have to finish her order. The boy vanished, then reappeared in his superhero suit. Helen quickly donned hers, then ran back out to the living room. "Lisa, can you watch Jack-Jack while we're gone?" 

"Uh... uh-huh..." Lisa nodded numbly. 

"We'll be back as soon as we can. Come on Dash!" Helen ran out of the house and leapt into the air, her legs stretching to shoot her across the night sky like a bullet. Dash ran below through the pure white snow that coated the earth, giving a false sense of peace. Helen bounded from rooftop to rooftop like this, heading toward a tower of sinister black smoke that rose in the distance. 

Helen threw herself off the final building toward the city park, flying through the air. She saw a massive crowd had formed, staring in awe and wonder at the headless body of what had once been a flame demon, and a teenage girl sitting on the snow, hunched over and panting heavily. Helen slammed into the snow, then ran toward her daughter. 

"Violet!" Helen quickly pushed her way through the crowd and ran to her daughter's side, kneeling down beside her. "Violet, Lisa told us you were attacked! Are you okay!?" 

"I'm fine..." Violet looked back at the decapitated creature behind her. "I won... but..." She looked at the crowd again. Helen looked around, taking in the situation, then looked down at her daughter with a gentle expression on her face. 

"Don't worry... we'll work everything out..." She said tenderly. Helen knew that after something like this, the people wouldn't be eager to share Violet's secret. It looked like she'd saved their lives, and most people respected that life-debt more than any other. Violet's secret would remain safe even after all of this. "Come on, let's get you home." She helped her daughter stand, then looked around for Dash. She saw him standing in front of the demon's head as if transfixed. "Son, we're leaving!" Helen shouted. 

Dash looked back in surprise, glanced at the demon head again, then turned to follow Helen home as she helped her daughter hobble along. They reached the house soon enough, and Helen was surprised to see her husband's car parked out front. They went inside, with Violet leading the way since she'd regained a bit of strength during the journey home. 

"Violet!" Lisa jumped up and ran to hug her friend tightly. "Oh my God, are you okay!?" 

"I'm okay... I got rid of it..." Violet's voice was shaking in weakness, but there was a tinge of pride contained within it. "He won't come back again..." She leaned against her friend tiredly, holding onto her. Helen could feel her husband's eyes on her, but she refused to meet them, instead focusing on her wounded daughter. 

"Come on honey, I'll help you get ready for bed. You should get home before you get in trouble Lisa." Helen told Violet's young friend. Lisa nodded. 

"I'll see you at school tomorrow Violet. You just rest up... and thank you for saving me." She smiled and squeezed Violet one last time before turning to leave. Helen picked up Jack-Jack, then led all three of her children into the back to tuck them into bed. She put the baby in his crib and let Dash tuck himself in while she tucked Violet carefully into bed. 

"I'm very proud of you honey..." Helen smiled and kissed her eldest child on the cheek tenderly. Violet smiled back. 

"Thanks mom..." Violet replied. Helen ruffled her hair. 

"Goodnight sweetie." Helen turned to walk out into the hall, reaching up to pull her heroes mask off. She just wanted to peel this costume off, lay down, and forget the world for a little while. Forget Bob, forget her daughter's dangers, forget Dash's strange behavior. Leave it all behind and just do nothing for a few hours. 

But as she turned into her bedroom she slammed face-first into what felt like a wall, but on further investigation was her husband dressed in full superhero gear. "Bob? What are you doing?" Helen smirked. "Running off to hrGH!?" Helen gasped in shock when her husband's mighty fist squeezed around her throat, lifting her off the ground. Helen grabbed at his arms, but his grip was stronger than steel. 

His cold, unfeeling... almost unthinking eyes bore into hers before he wound up and hurled her into the opposite wall. She let out a pained yelp as she broke straight through the wall with a horrendous crash, collapsing to the other side in a pile of debris. In the room behind her, Jack-Jack howled in fear at the sudden noise and the dust in the air. 

"Uuughn..." Helen groaned in pain and pulled herself out of the debris in time to see her husband disappearing down the hallway, marching away from her. She saw her children creeping down the hall after him, eyes wide with fear and confusion. "Kids, don't. Stay back." Helen pulled herself out of the debris, rubbing her head. 

"Mom, what's going on?" Violet asked fearfully. 

"I don't know. You two just stay here, and take care of Jack-Jack." Helen demanded. 

"But mom..." Dash complained softly. 

"Stay here! I'll be back as soon as I can!" Helen quickly slapped her mask back on and ran for the still-open front door, running out into the snowy Winter's night. She was once again glad their suits were well insulated against the cold; it allowed her to focus on searching for her husband, who seemed to have disappeared. 

As she searched, she just couldn't figure it out. Sure they had a fight, but it was hardly their first and he'd never attacked her like this before. Something was seriously wrong, something far worse than an unfaithful husband and a breaking relationship. And she had a feeling Mirage was connected to it somehow. What did she do to her husband? 

Helen landed on a building, and stopped when she heard a thunderous crash from nearby. She leapt the rooftops in the direction of the sound and stopped when she saw a large hole in the side of a building. A painfully skinny form was standing outside it, wearing thick winter clothes but still instantly recognizable. 

"Mirage!" Helen leapt to the snow on the street, attracting the woman's attention. She didn't look very surprised to see her. "What did you do to my husband!?" Helen demanded. 

"What did I do? Why, nothing." Mirage smirked. "He came to me of his own free will because you weren't doing your wifely duties." She shook her head, pursing her lips shamefully. "You drove him away, and he ran to little old me. It's not all that hard to figure out." 

"You tell me the truth or so help me I'll-" Helen didn't have time to finish that sentence before suddenly she caught sight of a fire hydrant flying toward her head. Her neck stretched backward to avoid it, but still more things flew at her. Street signs, bricks, more fire hydrants ripped straight from the ground. Helen's body wound itself around, twisting into a myriad of positions until the onslaught stopped. 

As Helen snapped back to normal her husband stepped between her and Mirage. "Don't you see, Elastigirl?" Mirage moved up behind Bob, wrapping her arms around his chest. "He's with me now... so you'd might as well leave us to our happiness." 

"I'll leave you in the ground!" Helen growled darkly. Bob lunged forward, but Helen folded herself in half and slipped quickly under his legs, straightening on his other side to uppercut Mirage straight into the side of the building. She brought her fist back again, but a mighty hand grabbed her arm and flung her in the opposite direction. 

Helen flew like a bullet, but wrapped one arm around a light pole to stop herself. She wrapped around it and pulled herself on top of it, kneeling on the thin bar and looking down at them. "You can't defeat Mr. Incredible. He's the greatest superhero there ever was!" Mirage laughed, rubbing her jaw and moving to stand behind Bob. 

Helen leapt from the light pole, her body writhing in the air until she hit the ground, her limbs double their normal length. Bob threw a punch at her, but she leapt over him, landing on her oversized hands and slamming both feet into Mirage's jaw. She pushed herself off the ground in time to avoid one of her husband's punches, wrapping her legs around his neck like a pair of ropes and coming down on the other side, using leverage and momentum to bring the giant man crashing to the pavement. 

Mirage tried to scramble away from her, but Helen unwrapped her legs from around her husband's neck and hurled herself after the thin woman, slamming into her and knocking her to the snow. She grabbed the scruff of Mirage's neck, pulling her up and raising one fist. 

"Wait! Please!" Mirage yelled. 

"What did you do to my husband!?" Helen demanded angrily. 

"I... I only wanted to be his friend at first..." Mirage whined softly. "He offered to help me... how could I refuse? I was used to living in luxury, and then after Syndrome was defeated... I could never have that again. It was frustrating." 

"I don't see why I should care." Helen growled. 

"He tried to help me... he gave me money to help... but it wasn't enough. I needed more... and I needed him to get it. So I used Syndrome's last invention..." Mirage gulped. 

"Last invention? What is it?" Helen demanded. 

"It's a mind control serum... but the person you use it on has to already have a lot of emotional attachment to you. Syndrome was going to use it on Jack-Jack when the boy thought he was his father. I kept giving it to Bob, but its effect was limited. He was relying on me more and more... because you kept pushing him away." Mirage snickered, then outright laughed. "You pushed him to me... and the serum became stronger and stronger until earlier today when it reached maximum potency." 

"A serum... the serum made him run to you... you've been manipulating him!" Helen shouted. 

"Yes... with your help. If you hadn't been such a cold fish, the serum might never have become as strong as it has now." She snickered. "I thank you from the bottom of my heart." Mirage smirked. Helen blinked, then suddenly something slammed into her side. Helen flew through the air, slamming into the side of a car with enough force to shatter all of the windows. She yowled in pain as the glass shards cut through her back and she collapsed to her hands and knees. 

Bob approached her, holding a light pole like a golf club, raising it over his head. He brought it crashing down on top of her, but Helen rolled into a thin log and hurled herself under the car, emerging from the other side as the car was crushed under the massive impact of the light pole. Helen climbed to her feet, looking into her brain-dead husband's eyes. 

"You don't want to do this!" Helen shouted as he husband dropped the light pole and marched toward her. "I love you! I'm sorry I've been ignoring you... I'm sorry if it felt like I was abandoning you!" She stepped back as her husband reached the totaled car between them and hurled it aside like nothing. It slammed into another car nearby, and the sound of a car alarm blared. "Please stop this!" 

"What do you think this is, a movie? There's no breaking through to him. My serum controls every one of his brain's functions at my whim. Syndrome was insane, but he was also a genius." Mirage grinned. Bob grinned darkly as well as he approached. Wait... he hadn't made any facial expression until now. Why would he do it now? Was he being directly controlled by Mirage's mind? So if she knocked out Mirage... 

She would knock out the connection. Helen stood with her back to the wall, waiting for her husband to pull back and let loose with a furious swing. She bent down to avoid it and flung herself to the side, circling him like a rubber band and lunging away from him toward Mirage. She slammed into the woman and pulled a fist back, but something slammed into her back, carrying her right over Mirage to plow her into the snow-covered street. 

The car fell to the street in front of her with a thunderous crash, allowing her to climb to her hands and knees. She looked back in time to see her husband leaping toward her, one fist drawn back behind his head. She flipped backward and rolled into a ball, rolling away from him just in time to avoid the Earth-shattering punch. 

Helen sprang back to her normal shape and leapt over him, once again aiming for Mirage, but her husband grabbed her ankle and yanked downward, slamming her face-first into the street. She groaned, but he didn't let go, whirling and spinning her around like a rubber doll until he let go and sent her flying into the side of a building. 

"Bob... I don't want to have to go through you..." Helen pushed herself painfully away from the building, wobbling on her feet. "But I will if I have to..." she raised her fists in front of her, watching as her husband stomped toward her, his massive fists clenched dangerously at his sides, and his eyes full of bloodlust. 

She tried to lunge to the side as he approached, but she didn't have access to her husband's seemingly endless well of stamina. She was tiring, and slowing down. He grabbed her around the waist and flung her back against the wall, bringing one fist down right onto her face. She barely moved it in time and tries to leap over him, but he wrapped his arms around her and whirled, slamming her onto the snow on her back with all his strength. 

Helen howled in pain and tried to scoot away from him, but her body was aching and quivering. "Bob... please..." Helen pleaded. "Don't do this... I love you..." She felt tears running down her face as her husband marched up to his feet, staring down at her emotionlessly. "I love you..." She could barely move as her husband reached down and grabbed her around the waist with one mighty hand, lifting her off the ground. 

"I told you. Emotional appeals are useless." Mirage cackled. "You should've stayed home. This could've been avoided." 

"Bob..." Helen cried softly, closing her eyes as his fist squeezed her stomach to the width of a string of spaghetti. She clenched her teeth in pain as more tears rolled down her cheeks. "I'm so sorry..." She felt herself lifted up over her husband's head, drooping down around him, helpless in his super powered grasp. She opened her eyes in time to be flung like a missile through the air. 

"What!?" Mirage screamed in surprise. Helen just now realized her husband had just thrown her straight at Mirage. Helen quickly pulled herself into the shape of a rubber ball just before her body slammed into Mirage's face, knocking her flat to the snow while Helen bounced off in another direction. She let herself snap back to her normal shape and stretched her arms out to grab a nearby light pole, swinging down on it until she hung limply. 

She could see Mirage unconscious on the snow. Bob wobbled on his feet, then collapsed to the ground, a miniature Earthquake signaling his fall. Helen dropped to the snow, falling to her knees and panting heavily. She allowed herself only a moment's rest before she scrambled across the snow to her husband, who lay unconscious. 

"Bob..." She put her hands on each side of her face, speaking softly. "Don't worry... I'll take you to Edna... and she'll help you..." She closed her eyes. "I'm... so sorry..." She sniffled, but she couldn't rest now. She wrapped her arms around her massive husbands and heaved him up from the ground, determined to get him help no matter what she had to do...

* * *

Bob was lying on the bed he and Helen shared, a position Edna said would help with the recover process. Helen could barely contain her emotions as she prepared the counter serum Edna had prepared. Her hands were shaking, but she wasn't about to let that stop her. She drew the required amount into the hypodermic needle Edna provided and injected it into her husband's neck. 

She sat on the edge of the bed and watched him, wearing her bathrobe to complete the illusion of familiarity and family that Edna said he would need when he awoke. For a moment there was nothing, then she heard her husband growl in his throat, squirming in bed. She took his hand in both of hers, watching his face. It contorted in rage, then confusion... and all the while tears flowed down his cheeks. 

"Wake up..." Helen said softly, reaching up to run a hand over his cheek. Bob's face contorted and his body shifted, as if he was struggling with something. "Wake up please... come back to me..." Helen pleaded with him. The growling in his throat grew louder as tears ran down his cheeks, until suddenly his eyes opened and he shot up in bed. 

"STOP!" He screamed fearfully, his chest heaving and his eyes wide with fear. His entire body was shaking, and he looked extremely confused. It took him a moment to see her standing over him, but when he did his eyes clouded over sadly. 

"Bob..." Helen croaked. There was so much to say... she didn't know what to say first. 

"What...?" Bob gulped, then looked down and lifted one hand to wipe at his eyes. "I had... the worst dream." Helen watched him sadly, reaching up to help him wipe the tears from his cheeks. "I dreamed I was... hurting you..." He shook his head and squeezed his eyes shut, but a fresh wave of tears came nonetheless. "Helen, I'm so sorry... I did... I know I can't excuse it but..." 

"Ssshhhh..." Helen grabbed him and held him tightly, resting his head against her chest and stroking the back of his head. "I know honey... I know everything..." She sniffled. "You're not the only one to blame... I'm sorry I made you feel that way..." Her hands ran through his hair and over his muscular back. She could feel him shivering in her grasp. "I promise, I won't do it again..." 

"You know what I did... and you don't... hate me...?" Bob asked. "I mean the dream... it just felt like I was hurting you so bad..." He shook his head. "It must've been how I felt... I didn't want to Helen..." 

"I know you didn't..." Helen said softly. "Don't worry, it was just a dream..." She kissed the top of his head tenderly. "You didn't hurt me... it was just a dream..." She closed her eyes, holding her beloved husband as close as she possibly could. She didn't want to tell him everything that had happened... it wasn't his fault. Mirage with that damned serum... Bob's only flaw all along had been his belief in second chances, and trust in someone who didn't deserve it. Strangely, that only made her love him even more than she already did... 

THE END 


	4. The Demon Within

The Demon Within 

Life was good for the second youngest member of the Parr family. Very, very good. Finally let off of his leash, Dash looked forward to nothing more than donning his superhero suit and taking to the city. Though in the meantime he was finally allowed to compete in school activities, he wasn't allowed to really cut loose in them. And he rarely won, in order to maintain the illusion of trying but not being perfect. And looking like he wasn't perfect was a stretch for him. 

He could feel the excitement welling up inside him as he prepared for school that morning, running around his room. There was a big practice session in school, where he would wind up running for hours on end. Not at his top speed, but it sounded like a whole lot of fun to him nonetheless. He didn't even pause as he streaked past the living room to the kitchen for a snack. 

He couldn't resist letting out a joyous "Who's the Dash? I'm the Dash!" As he passed right by his mother. He skidded to a halt in the kitchen, grabbed a few candy bars out of the pantry, hefted his backpack securely over his shoulder, and turned to streak past the living room right out the front door. "Love ya bye mom see ya!" He shouted before he broke through the door into the street. 

The biting cold of Winter bit into the exposed skin of his face. He hadn't really wanted to bundle up for fear that it would slow him down, but now he found himself slowing down for the sake of not turning himself into a human Popsicle. He hated it when his mom was right, which she was, but he would never admit it to her. 

He soon reached the playground of the Elementary School he was attending, slowing to a more normal pace as it hove into view and walking onto it as if he'd been there all along. Snow began to float down from the sky as he reached the jungle gym, looking up at one of his best friends dangling from the top with his legs flailing. 

"Come on! I wanna get down now!" He whined angrily. 

"Go ahead and let go. I'll catch you." Dash called up to him. The boy looked down, then let his fingers slip off of the bar. Dash was true to his word to break the boy's fall, but using the word 'catch' wasn't really appropriate. Dash grunted from the ground as his friend climbed off of him. 

"Thanks Dash." Dash's best friend Darrel knelt down and pulled him off the ground. "I thought nobody would help me down." 

"Let me guess. Stacy?" Dash asked. His friend blushed and looked down, running one foot through the thickening snow. "You've got to stop this man. She's got you wrapped around her finger." 

"It's not like I let her! She's just so strong..." Darrel whined. 

"She's half your size!" Dash reminded him. 

Darrel looked down shamefully, clasping his hands behind his back. "Well, what should I do?" 

"Next time she tries to push you around, puff out your chest..." Dash puffed out his chest to demonstrate, getting a mean look on his face. "And say 'Hey Stacy! You can't push The Dash around! So buzz off!'" 

"But I'm not 'The Dash'." Darrel pointed out. 

"You know what I mean!" Dash retorted. He walked up to his friend and slung an arm around his shoulders, which was hard to do since his friend was a bit taller than he was. "Okay, you can be 'The Darrel: The boy who stands up to girls'." Dash said in a soft voice. 

"Wooow... I can...?" Darrel asked in amazement. 

"Yes you can. Just do what I told you and those girls won't stand a chance." Dash said. 

"Okay, I'll do that. Thanks Dash." Darrel smiled as the school bell rang. "Come on, let's get inside before they think we're tardy!" So they both ran toward the school building with almost every other kid in their class. 

The class faded without anything important happening. There were a few tussles in the cafeteria during lunch time, Darrel hiding from Stacy at all costs, and Dash's own encounter with a little red-pigtailed girl with shining green emeralds for eyes, freckles almost intricately spread across her milky smooth cheeks, and a set of barely detectable braces on her teeth. 

"Hello Dash." She told him with a gentle smile. 

"Uh... hi Marie." Dash replied uncomfortably. 

"Whatcha doin'?" The girl asked. Dash looked down at the tray of cafeteria food clutched in his hands. 

"... Eating lunch." He replied dumbly. Marie giggled. 

"Me too. Wanna eat together?" Marie asked. 

"Uh... uh..." Dash cast about for any escape. Darrel was behind Marie, waving his hands like they were on a sinking submarine. "I can't... I have... poop... a lot..." He muttered. Marie blinked and stared at him in confusion, while Darrel slapped himself in the forehead. "Gotta go bye!" Dash took off at a run across the cafeteria, his super speed kicking in slightly to get him there very fast. Finally he skidded to a stop at a table and sat down, his heart pounding. 

Darrel's arm wrapped around his shoulders from behind. "Maybe one day you can be 'The Dash: the boy who stands up to girls.'" 

"Shut up Darrel." Dash retorted grumpily as his friend took a seat beside him. The rest of the day went on, until finally the time Dash was waiting for arrived. It was a soccer tryout, something Dash had been wanting to try for a while. With all of his practice at running, he was able to control his feet like nobody's business. So soccer just seemed natural for him. 

"Okay everybody, line up." The coach blew his whistle as all of the kids scrambled to get in position. The soccer team was co-ed, so there was a small group of girls set in among the boys who wanted to prove themselves by being good at a physical sport. "I wish you could all be on the team, but well, some of you probably suck." 

The children all just stared at him. "But that's okay. If you're not cut out for sports, there are less manly things you can do in the future. Like being an accountant or a home designer. Now everyone line up by the first letters of your first names, which I'll call out now." And so he did, placing Dash, naturally, near the front of the line. 

He waited his turn, then walked up to the line the coach made on the ground. He heard a few kids who knew him cheering, including, when he glanced back, Marie. "Okay Dashiel, you've been doing good in the track team, but let's see how you do with something more complicated than running." He smirked. Dash resisted the urge to fire back. He mentally chanted 'modesty is a virtue... modesty is a virtue...' 

The coach tossed the soccer ball into the air toward him, and Dash raised one leg, hopping forward and kicking it back into the air. He hopped after it, kicking it up again, keeping this up a few times until his audience was applauding the display. "Well, not bad." The coach admitted. 

"I'm good with my feet." Dash couldn't resist gloating a little as he kicked the ball up one more time, then brought his leg around to kick it into the net nearby. The audience mostly burst into applause... those who weren't fuming at being shown up did anyway. Even the coach clapped as Dash took a bow with a broad grin on his face. 

"Okay, to the back of the line, others need their shots too." The coach shoved him toward the back of the line of kids. He took his place, satisfied that he'd proven his point about being good for the team. A year of being a superhero in lots of different situations had made him good at far more than just running. His speed applied to everything he did. 

The soccer tryouts ended with the coach promising to reveal the results in one week, so Dash turned to leave the playground with a satisfied smile on his face. Darrel and Marie both ran up behind him. "Dude, that was absolutely amazing!" Darrel exclaimed. "I knew you were good, but not THAT good. You've got to teach me all that." 

"Some people are just born with it." Dash grinned. He was caught off guard when Marie kissed his cheek from the other side, drawing his attention to her with wide eyes. 

"Good tryout Dash, I hope you make the team." Marie smiled. "I'll see you tomorrow!" She turned to run toward the sidewalk where her father was waiting in his car, leaving the two boys staring after her numbly. 

"It looks like my dad's here too. I'll see you tomorrow Dash." Darrel said. Dash blinked, then wiped his cheek where the girl had kissed him. 

"Yeah, see you tomorrow." Dash grumped. Darrel waved and ran to his own car, so Dash turned to run away from the school, normal speed at first, but once he was out of sight he sped up to blistering speeds, racing through the cold faster than anyone could hope to see him. He darted through alleyways and backyards on the most direct course toward home he could find. 

When he got there he slowed down and burst through the door, walking inside importantly. "The Dash is home!" He shouted before looking around the room. His parents were standing in front of the couch, on which his sister was sitting with red eyes and wet cheeks. He huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. "I missed something good didn't I?" 

"Nothing you need to worry about." His mother told him with a smile. 

"Come on and tell me!" Dash begged, annoyed to be left out of any interesting goings on, especially if it meant embarrassment for his sister. 

"Buzz off." Violet flicked her hand at him, and Dash found himself trapped floating in the center of the force field. She shoved him, sending him rolling across the room until the shield bumped into the wall. "Hey! Get me down from here! These force fields aren't fair! You're not supposed to- oof!" Dash huffed as the field dissipated, letting him fall to the floor with a thud. "Mooom!" 

"Dash, Violet's going through a rough time right now. Why don't you try to lay off of her for a while?" His mother knelt down in front of him to help him to his feet. 

"She's the one who attacked me! I was just wondering what was going on!" Dash exclaimed angrily. 

"Dash... just please, leave her alone. She had a hard day today." Helen said. Dash just glared up at her, crossing his arms over his chest. "Okay... look, she disappeared from school. There was an accident, and it kind of freaked her out." Dash's expression changed from one of irritation to one of concern. 

"Is she okay?" Dash asked. 

"Yes, she'll be fine." His mother told him. "Her powers are just changing. But don't mention it to her, she has to get it under control on her own. Okay?" 

"Okay mom." Dash nodded. 

"Good. And from now on I want you to get a ride to and from school with your father. At least for a little while. And NO complaining. Got it?" Dash nodded silently. His mother smiled and patted his head. They both looked over when there was a knock at the door. "Can you get that while I take care of Jack-Jack?" Helen asked. 

"Sure." Dash nodded and moved to answer the door while his mom walked into the other room to find the now howling baby. He pulled the door open and looked up to see Violet's longtime friend Lisa standing outside in a thick sweater and a worried expression on her face. "Uh... hi Lisa." Dash gulped slightly. The girl looked down at him and smiled. 

"Hey, what's up little man?" Lisa asked. 

"Just got home... aced my soccer tryouts. I'm practically on the team already." Dash beamed proudly. 

"It's the beginning of Winter." Lisa said. 

"We like to practice through Winter so we're ready in the Spring." Dash replied. 

"Huh... interesting. Is Violet here?" Lisa asked. Dash sighed inwardly, disappointed that his attempt to impress her had fallen flat. 

"She's back in her room." Dash stood aside to let the girl in, shutting the door behind her. Dash leaned against the door, watching Lisa walked into the back toward Violet's room. He heaved a soft sigh when she faded out of sight and turned to walk toward his room. Well, he had soccer practice to concentrate on for a while... though he couldn't help wondering if Violet would really be okay.

* * *

The next day Dash let his father drive him to school, sliding out of the car when they got there, waving back to him, and walking onto the playground where most of his peers were already waiting for the bell to ring. He wandered across the snow, bundled up against the cold. He looked over at the jungle gym, and rolled his eyes when he saw Darrel once again facing down his female nemesis, Stacy, who had a group of helpers. 

"You get up there right now mister!" Stacy insisted, stomping up to him. She was indeed shorter than he was, but he looked cowed nonetheless. 

"N... no!" Darrel finally stood up for himself, pushing himself up on his tiptoes to appear even taller. "I'm the Darrel! And I don't have to listen to you!" Dash grinned, proud to see his student make good use of his teachings. Stacy didn't look that impressed though, moving closer and pressing her chest to his with a scowl on her face. Suddenly she puckered her lips in a kissing motion. 

Darrel snapped like a twig. "AAAAGH!" He turned to run as fast as his legs could carry him. 

Stacy laughed wildly. "After him girls!" The small gang of girls chased after him. Dash watched dumbly. Well, maybe he would apologize to Darrel later for the bad advice... after the girls were gone. Those girls were vicious; he didn't want to get caught in the middle. 

"Hey Dash." A soft giggle called his attention to the side, where he saw Marie walking up to him with her arms behind her back and a smile on her face. "You're late. Normally you're here much earlier. I've been waiting for you." 

"Well, I had to take a different route here than usual." Dash half-lied to protect his identity. Suddenly something occurred to him. "Why have you been waiting for me?" He asked. 

"Oh... no reason." Marie shrugged that off in that annoyingly cute and secretive way girls had. "So what did you think of me at the tryouts yesterday?" She asked. In truth Dash hadn't been that impressed. She dropped the ball several times trying to imitate him. But she wasn't a superhero like he was. And she was a girl. So she had a few handicaps. 

"Pretty good." Dash told her. "The ball went in the net." It was the only thing he could think to encourage her about. A lot of people couldn't even say THAT much though, so it was something. 

Marie giggled cutely. "Thanks Dash." She grabbed his arm, smiling up at him. Why was she getting so close to him? It made him a bit uncomfortable, her face was less than a foot away from his, and those emerald green eyes... staring into his in a strangely enticing... yet scary... manner. 

The school bell saved him from freaking out, as the girl pulled back and looked in its direction. "Time to go, I'll see you later!" Dash took off across the field toward the school, leaving the girl behind. He slowed down when he was satisfied with the distance between them, and Darrel appeared beside him, looking rumpled and disheveled. 

"Geeze man, what happened to you?" Dash asked curiously. 

"I don't wanna talk about it." Darrel shook his head. Dash couldn't get anything else out of the boy, so he let it go and went through the rest of his day. As the school day wore on, he found himself thinking more about Violet. She'd just disappeared from school after an accident involving her powers... he wished he knew exactly what happened. He was worried it might happen again... he really didn't want anything to happen to her. 

At lunch he wasn't feeling that hungry, but he got his lunch anyway and carried it toward one of the tables in the back of the cafeteria. He sat down and sighed, resting one elbow on the table while he shoveled some white goop he hoped was mashed potatoes into his mouth. He ate in silence until he heard a pair of footsteps walking up behind him. 

"You little moron." Darrel's dark voice taunted. Dash blinked in surprise and turned around to see his friend scowling. "What were you thinking giving me that bad advice?" 

"Hey, sorry, I thought it would work No reason to get all bent out of shape over it." Dash replied, still off-guard. 

"You don't know what I went through!" Darrel grabbed the front of his shirt roughly. "You little failure of a friend!" 

"Hey, let go!" Dash shoved desperately in fear, and to his surprise Darrel stumbled back into the wall, his tray clattering to the ground. All eyes turned toward them. 

"What was that for!?" Darrel demanded in surprise. "I just asked if I could sit down!" 

"No you didn't! You said I was a bad friend! Then you grabbed me!" Dash replied. 

"Geeze, whatever. I'll sit somewhere else." Darrel pushed himself up and turned to walk away, wiping the spilt food off of his shirt as he walked. Dash stared after him in confusion, then looked around the cafeteria. 

"You... you all heard him... you saw him..." Dash insisted. The other students exchanged glances, then watched in fascination as one of the teachers approached Dash. "He was..." 

"To the principal's office young man." The teacher demanded, jamming her finger toward the exit. Dash stared up at her in confusion, then slid from the bench and turned to leave the cafeteria, trying to ignore the staring eyes of his classmates. He was numb as he walked out into the hall, turning to head down the familiar path to the principal's office. 

Why would Darrel do this to him? He thought they were friends. Just because Dash gave him some bad advice didn't mean he could do this. Dash walked into the office and sat down in front of the principal, who looked down at him with a disappointed look on his face. 

"Dash... what happened?" He asked. 

"Darrel was yelling at me, and he grabbed me... I pushed him back and then I got sent here." Dash replied. 

"Always blaming other people. You've been so good lately..." The principal began. 

"I'm blaming him because he started it!" Dash shouted in frustration. "It's the truth!" 

"Dash, accept responsibility for your own actions." The principal demanded. Dash clenched his fists and growled in frustration, but managed to hold his tongue. "Good. Now give this to your mother." The principal held a small note out to him across the desk, which Dash took with a flick of his wrist. "See that she gets it." 

"Fine." Dash slid off the seat and turned to leave, stuffing the note into one of his jacket pockets. The rest of his day was lousy. He didn't get much to eat because of this, and the rest of his classes were giving out quizzes he was too pissed off to focus on. He was sure he failed them all, but he didn't care. When the final bell rang he was more than eager to march right across the snow-covered playground to his father's car by the sidewalk. 

"Hey, Dash! Wait up!" He heard Darrel running up behind him, so he sprinted up to the car and leapt in before the boy could catch up. 

"Have a good day at school son?" Bob asked. 

"Fine, let's go home." Dash grumped. His father looked concerned, but started up the car and drove away before Darrel could reach them. Dash sat back in his seat, knowing he would be in for a rather large earful when he got home with the note. 

He was surprised though. His mother took it in stride and simply told him to be nicer. That was a big relief, but it didn't help his concern over his grades, or his friend's sudden betrayal, or his sister's sudden disappearance the day before. He still felt lousy, but at least he wasn't grounded. He still had to go back to school the next day to face his traitorous friend, however. 

"Hey, Dash!" Darrel ran up right when Dash stepped onto the playground. "Hold on a sec!" 

"Go away. I'm not talking to you right now." Dash held up his hand to stop his friend and kept right on walking, marching toward the swing-sets. They always calmed him down before school. They gave him the feeling of running fast without having to reveal his powers by actually doing it. When he reached them he found Marie sitting on one of the seats, watching him. 

"Hello Dash..." She said softly. "Are you okay? I heard about what you did yesterday." 

"I didn't do it. HE started it." Dash growled more forcefully than he intended. Marie looked a bit scared, so Dash just growled and turned to leave. 

"Dash, hold on!" Marie ran up behind him and grabbed his shoulder. "I'm sorry, of course I believe you." 

"You do?" Dash looked over at her. 

"Sure, you wouldn't lie." Marie gave him a bright smile. "So cheer up, okay? I hate seeing you sad and angry." 

"Okay... thanks." Dash smiled for the first time since being sent to the principal's office. Marie giggled cutely and smiled back, but the bell interrupted anything else they might have said. 

The rest of the day passed, as did the day after that. But three days later he once again found himself the butt of one of Darrel's attacks, to which Dash appropriately responded, and received a note for. Two days later it happened again, and Dash couldn't stand it he was getting so ticked off. Marie kept his spirits up, but nobody else would believe a word he said. It was like he had a "guilty" sticker stapled to his forehead. 

His mother took the notes in stride, until one day when he brought a note home for attacking someone besides Darrel, a little punk who made a crack about Violet's troubles in school and took a swipe at him. His mother just glared down at him in disappointment. 

"Dash..." Helen sighed, looking past the note at Dash, who had a puppy-dog smile on his face. "What's happening? You've been so good." 

"It's not my fault." Dash complained. "This bully keeps attacking me, so I have to fight back don't I? So I kick his butt and I get in trouble for it! And then he does it again the next day! He's TRYING to get me in trouble I know it!" 

"Dash, what aren't you telling me?" Helen demanded. 

"Nothing!" Dash insisted. "It's the truth! They're all out to get me or something, I know it!" 

"Well, they got you, and me too." Helen said as she pulled on a jacket to guard against the Winter chill. "We have a parent-teacher conference with your teacher tonight." 

"Do we have to go?" Dash asked hopefully. 

"It's that or expulsion, and I won't have that." Helen tossed the boy his jacket, then went into the back to fetch Violet. Dash crossed his arms over his chest and waited for her to emerge again. She grabbed Dash's hand as she passed and dragged the boy out the door. He put up some resistance, but she wrapped her arm around him and lifted him into the air, taking his feet off the ground and thus disabling his power. Dash yelled in protest, but she just put him in the car and climbed in after him, driving toward his school. 

When they reached the school Helen grabbed her son's hand and walked inside. He stopped resisting finally, walking along beside her as they walked into the principal's officer, where both his principal and teacher were waiting. 

"Mrs. Parr, it's good that you could make it." The principal said. 

"I wish I could say I'm happy to be here but..." Helen trailed off. Both men chuckled. Dash would've hurled if he thought he wouldn't get grounded for it or something. 

"We just want to talk." Dash's teacher gestured to the pair of chairs sitting in front of the principal's desk. Helen sat down, pulling her son into the seat beside her. "Mrs. Parr, we're afraid your son has been lashing out frequently as of late... and we were wondering if anything might have happened at home to cause it." He asked bluntly. 

"No... I can't think of anything. Do you have any ideas?" Helen asked. 

"Frankly no. We've questioned him repeatedly, but he keeps insisting that someone else is pushing his buttons. We've tried to reason with him, but he won't listen. Today he insisted that a boy half his size was trying to punch him, so he felt the need to beat him to the ground until he stopped fighting back." The principal shook his head. "This is the most violent outburst yet, and they're getting worse. So we'd like you to see to him. If you can't, we have no choice but to expel him." 

"I understand." Helen looked down at her son, but he still refused to meet her gaze. "Thanks for telling me about this." 

"We hope we can work something out. Dash is a bright young boy and it would be a shame to waste such potential." Dash's teacher said. 

"I'll take care of it." Helen nodded and stood up. "Come on Dash, we've got to get home before Jack-Jack drives your sister insane." 

"Wouldn't possibly want that." Dash muttered as they turned to leave the school. After Helen got them both in the car on their way home Helen spoke. 

"Dash, what-" 

"Just shut up." Dash demanded. "You don't believe me, so why should I bother?" 

"You should bother because I am your mother and you won't be beating innocent kids to the ground anymore." Helen snapped back. "Honestly Dash, I never expected anything like that from you." 

"He was attacking me." Dash replied angrily. "I keep saying that!" 

"Well next time some kid attacks you, go tell a teacher, alright?" Helen retorted. "I don't care if he puts you in a headlock and tries to slam you to the ground, you don't beat other kids like that. You get away from him and tell someone. Do I make myself clear?" 

"This is what I get for sticking up for myself and my sister..." Dash mumbled under his breath. 

"Do I make myself clear Dashiel Parr?" His mother asked again. 

"Crystal..." Dash said venomously. The rest of the ride home was besieged by a thick, tense silence. Dash just stared out the window, trying his best to ignore her. Why wouldn't anyone believe him? He wasn't causing any of this, it was everyone else. They kept goading him and attacking him. Why wouldn't anyone stick up for him for a change? 

Well the good news was he made the soccer team. And so did Marie, though Darrel didn't. Dash almost felt guilty for being glad that his former friend failed to make the team... but it quickly passed and he was able to gloat to his heart's content. So he went to soccer practice, but the taunts seemed to be getting worse. Dash found himself hearing whispered threats about his parents, his sister... everywhere he went it seemed like someone was following him. 

He even found himself howling like a maniac at some poor boy in the supermarket because he heard someone say they were going to hurt Violet. The taunts were getting worse... escalating from taunting whispers to open death threats. Everyone he saw it seemed, when he wasn't looking, whispered something about wanting them dead. It was driving him crazy, until he just wanted to block it out. 

The only time the voices stopped was when he was actively engaged in something fast and exciting, like their soccer practice. It was hard to play in the snow, but they managed it, bundling up and kicking the ball with frozen feet. The only problem was that the ball was pretty white, and kept getting lost in the snow. But they managed. 

"Okay everyone, good game tonight. It's time for you all to head home now. Have a wonderful weekend." The coach shouted over the roar of excited children. Dash turned to walk to the sidewalk, looking around for his father's car, but he didn't see him anywhere. 

"Dad late?" Marie walked up beside him, looking around at the line of cars. 

"I'm sure he'll be here soon." Dash replied. 

"Yeah, me too." Marie smiled slightly. "Good game today Dash. I thought you did a great job." 

"Thanks." Dash replied absently. "I mean... you too." He amended when he realized how he sounded. Marie smiled almost sadly, looking out across the cars again for a moment before turning back to him. She surprised him by kissing him on the cheek. Dash looked over at her to see her smiling a sad little smile, her hands clasped behind her back. 

"You changed Dash..." She told him softly. 

"Huh...?" Dash stared at her curiously, but she just turned to walk toward her dad's car. 

"I'll see you on Monday." She waved before climbing into the car, which soon took off down the road, leaving Dash standing alone on the sidewalk knee deep in show. He wrapped his arms around his chest and pulled his jacket more tightly shut against the cold, standing and waiting. He could have been home in a matter of seconds, but his mom still insisted on his dad picking him up. 

Then where was he? Dash was freezing his butt off. He started pumping his legs to keep the blood flowing, warming himself up a bit from the exertions. _Dead..._ Dash looked around in surprise, but didn't see anything. A soft wind blew through the soccer field, but that was all. _They'll be dead._ What was this? _So will you..._ It was haunting and creepy... now the voice was coming from nowhere. "You're not real..." Dash insisted. _You'll be DEAD!_ The voice was screaming now, driving Dash to his knees in the snow and clutching his head. _YOU'LL ALL BE DEAD!_ "You're... not... real..." Dash insisted. _And your sister will go first..._ "Leave Violet alone..." _Her body will be crushed like a melon..._ "Not real..." 

_Don't deny me anymore. You hate me... and everyone else. You hate us all._ "I don't even know what you are..." _You want me to kill Violet...? The girl whom you parents treasure far more than you?_ "No!" _Lies._ "You're not real!" _Her death will come first..._ "No! Leave her alone! LEAVE HER ALONE!" Suddenly Dash found himself staring up at a car door, the one that belonged to his father. 

"I'm so sorry Dash, I didn't mean to leave you out here. I was just... occupied with work." His father said quickly. Dash was shaking like a leaf, though not just from the cold. He wouldn't dare reveal the real reason though, they would probably have him locked in some hospital for nut jobs. So he climbed into the car and put on a tough face. 

"H-h-hey, don't worry about-t-t it dad." Dash shivered through his speech, giving his father a weak smile. "I'm t-tough enough." His father smiled and turned up the heater, though it didn't really stop Dash's shivering. Suddenly a shockwave rocked the car, and half the city. "What was that!?" Dash demanded, his heart skipping a beat. The timing couldn't be coincidence... 

"There." Bob pointed to where plumes of black smoke were billowing into the sky. "It looks like a fire. Come on son, you up for a little rescue mission?" Dash breathed a sigh of relief. It was only a fire... nothing that could come hunting for his family members. 

"If it's warm, I'm there..." Dash commented. His father turned the car toward home and drove them there as fast as he could. When they reached the house Dash could see a giant fireball down the street. It almost looked like it was moving... but that wasn't possible. It was his own imagination, he was sure of it. 

"There you are, get suited up so we can go!" Helen marched out of the house quickly, wearing her red, black, and gold Elastigirl suit. 

"Yes ma'am!" Dash dashed inside the house and emerged moments later in his own superhero outfit. He had yet to choose a superhero identity for himself. He wanted to call himself The Dash, but that was too much of a dead giveaway to his real name. His second choice was Incrediboy, but his father shot that one down instantly. 

"Where's Violet?" Bob asked. 

"I don't know, she's not home and we can't wait for her." Helen replied. "Now come on, we have to stop whatever this thing is." So the three heroes turned to run toward the disturbance. Jack-Jack, as usual, was staying with one of the neighbors. The fire was, literally, a massive demon that looked like molten rock that had burst into flames and emerged straight form the mouth of a volcano. Dash's breath caught in his throat and he slowed down on approach. Its howling, gutteral voice as it seemed to laugh in triumph... was familiar... 

The second sound that floated out from the demon was even worse. A scream of anguish and pain, coming from one of the demon's hands. All three family members saw her at once, and all of them screamed in unison. "INVISIGIRL!" 

Bob charged up to the demon with a furious yell, plunging his fist forward with all the strength he could bring to bear. But the demon merely stumbled. It looked over at them, then turned back to the teenage girl clutched tightly in one fiery fist. 

"Your death will come another time... when I choose." It told her before flinging her body carelessly over it shoulder. Violet's small frame flew through the air, slamming into the ground like someone had just tossed a rag doll carelessly to the floor. Dash just watched in horror for a moment, watching his sister roll limply to the ground on the other side at Lisa's feet. 

"No!" Helen screamed in fear as her daughter rolled to a stop. She didn't have any more time to worry however. The demon was turning on them, bringing one fist down right on top of her. She threw herself out of the way just in time before the fist embedded itself in the street. 

"You leave my family alone!" Bob hurled himself at the demon again, leaping into the air and slamming straight into its stomach. The full force of his body had more impact, driving the demon back. Finally Dash pulled himself out of his shock to make himself useful to his parents. Sitting and staring wouldn't save anyone, it was time for action. 

"I got it!" Dash vanished in a red blur, slamming the full force of his body into the creature's ankle. He didn't have much weight, but with that much speed his momentum more than made up for it. Its foot flew out from under it, collapsing to its back. 

"You... YOU!..." Helen's eyes were glowing with fire as she leapt into the air, sailing up over the demon. Her fists lashed out well ahead of her, aiming straight for the creature's eyes, but the demon raised one hand and swatted her aside, sending her flying into a nearby building. 

"RAAAAAGH!" Bob let out a scream as he leapt into the air, coming down on top of the demon. The living fireball grinned and clenched its own fist, slamming it into him. He flew back into the ruined burning building, leaving Dash to stare up at the massive creature as it climbed to its feet in front of him. Dash fell to a crouch, ready to run at a moments notice, but it didn't attack. 

_Death is waiting for you... all of you... and you are waiting for it._ The demon stared down at him as the voice spoke again. Dash's eyes went wide, staring up at it. Suddenly the flames simply flickered out, as if they hadn't been a demon moments before. Like a campfire being blown dark... leaving nothing but ashes in its wake. 

Dash stared at the sky, too stunned for words. The thing he kept hearing... it was this demon. It must have been making him hear all those things... the voice on the field, the things everyone kept saying to him. Why was all of this happening to him? 

Soon his father emerged from the burning wreckage to run up to him, looking around in surprise. "Dash? What happened? Where did it go?" He asked. Dash didn't answer for a few moments, trying to decide how much to reveal. Finally he decided to tell nothing... it would only make them think he was going insane... which he just might have been. 

"It... it just disappeared." Dash said. He wouldn't tell what the demon had said... maybe it wouldn't come back. Maybe the voices were over now... maybe he could get back to his life... 

The wait for his parents' friend Edna to finish working on Violet in her little ER was excruciating. Dash couldn't stand still, clasping his hands behind his back and walking around. Lisa was sitting on one of the chairs in the same room, wringing her hands together. His parents were waiting in the next room, but it didn't matter. He just wanted to be with Violet. 

"Are you okay little man?" Lisa asked. Dash stopped pacing long enough to look over at her. 

"I'm fine..." Dash replied. "I just... Violet's gonna be... she'll be fine... she's a hero... like me and... and mom and dad..." He stuttered despite himself. Lisa smiled and stood up, walking over to kneel down and wrap her arms around him. Dash leaned against her, trying to fight back the tears that struggled to get out. Tears of helplessness and frustration. 

"Of course she'll be fine..." Lisa told him softly. "She's almost as strong as you." She said jokingly. Dash giggled slightly, grabbing her neck and holding on for dear life. Lisa stroked his back gently, holding onto him until Edna finally walked into the room. Dash pulled away from Lisa, wiping at his tears with one gloved hand. 

"Can I go see her...?" Dash asked. 

"Of course. But do not wake her up." Edna replied. Dash nodded and ran past her down the hall, pushing his way into the ER. He found Violet lying on a steel table in her underwear, hooked up to a small group of machines surrounding the table. Tubes and wires of all kinds led into her thin body, almost making her look like she was in a coma like so many people on TV... 

Dash approached the table and sat down beside it, staring at his unconscious sister. He couldn't help but feel like this was because of him somehow. That demon... it said he wanted this. It told him his sister would die... well she wasn't dead, but it was close enough. Dash reached out and grabbed one of her hands, holding it tightly as a fresh wave of tears flowed down his cheeks. 

"I'm sorry, Violet..." He sniffled lightly. "I don't even know what I did... but I'm sorry..." He lowered his head, holding her hand tightly. She had to wake up soon... she just had to...

* * *

Fortunately, she did wake up later that day. For a while Dash remained paranoid about the demon and a return of the voices... but they seemed to be gone. He waited one day... then two... then several weeks passed and there wasn't a single whisper. He was beginning to think the voices were gone for good. That would be a major relief. He was even able to patch things up with Darrel, and Marie told him he was back to his old self... followed by a kiss on the cheek. 

He slowly forgot about the voices, the notes to his mom stopped, and his friends were all back with him again. In short, life was good again. Though he did notice that his dad was rarely around... it didn't matter much, because his mom said he was allowed to run to and from school now that the major concerns and worries seemed to have passed. Violet even made up with Lisa a week before Christmas. 

The good life continued right up to Christmas morning, when Dash pre-opened his presents as-per his Christmas tradition before actually going down with the rest of his family to open them. He set to his present like a jackal on a carcass, ripping it apart until he got to the joyous center. He made a show of being excited since he already knew what it was, jumping on his dad and shouting "Thank you thank you!" 

He moved to the other side of the room to figure out his present until suddenly his mom stood up. "Bob, we need to talk. In our room." Her voice was light enough, but Dash had heard that tone enough times back before the second rise of the Superheroes. Something was wrong... and the feeling only got worse as their parents vanished into their bedroom, leaving Jack-Jack with him and Violet. 

They were in the bedroom for only a few minutes when their father emerged and walked into the living room. "Kids, I'm going out for a little while on patrol. I just need to make sure nobody's committing any crimes during the holiday celebrations." He told them. 

"Can I come!?" Dash asked excitedly. He loved fighting crime. 

"No, Dash, you stay here and play with your presents." He leaned down and pulled the boy into a hug. "I'll be back when I finish my patrol." He said. 

"When will that be?" Dash asked. 

"I don't know..." Bob smiled slightly and patted his head. "You're the man of the house until I get back, okay?" 

"O... kay..." Dash stared after him as his father turned to leave, leaving the three kids in the living room. Soon their mother emerged again to take care of them, looking and acting as if nothing was happening. The kids knew better... but they also knew better than to dwell on it. So Dash made the best of it, trying to keep his spirits up, especially when Lisa arrived to spend Christmas with them. 

The rest of the day crept past them, until Dash found himself in the dining room setting the table for Christmas dinner. It had been a good day all in all, he had nothing to complain about. And Lisa was being exceptionally nice, he was really glad Violet had decided to patch things up with her. She was pretty cool... for a girl anyway. 

"Don't be too long honey." His mother's shout came from the kitchen, though Dash couldn't hear anything else. He finished setting the table and made his way back to the kitchen. 

"Where's Lisa?" Dash asked. 

"She went home." His mother replied. Dash sighed inwardly, but tried not to make his disappointment too obvious. "Come on, why don't you help me with dinner?" She patted his head and moved him over to a can of corn, handing him a can opener so he could pry it open. He wasn't at it very long before he heard the front door fly open. 

"Mrs. Parr!" Lisa's voice shouted from the living room. "Mrs. Parr where are you!?" 

"Lisa?" Helen walked into the living room, with Dash following right behind her. "What's going on?" 

"Violet's being attacked by that demon from before! It just came out of nowhere! She hid me, then ran off to lead it away." Lisa was shaking in fear, her wide eyes shooting every which way. Dash's heart froze in fear. He'd thought it was gone... the demon that had been plaguing his mind with those damned voices was back. 

"Dash, get-" Helen didn't even have to finish her order. The boy vanished, then reappeared in his superhero suit. Helen quickly donned hers, then ran back out to the living room. "Lisa, can you watch Jack-Jack while we're gone?" 

"Uh... uh-huh..." Lisa nodded numbly. 

"We'll be back as soon as we can. Come on Dash!" His mother ran out the front door and took to the rooftops while Dash followed closely on the ground, pacing her with ease. He was tempted to speed up, but he couldn't leave his mother behind. Besides, he didn't know exactly where they were trying to go. He didn't hear or feel anything weird, which was a good sign. 

Finally his mother leapt to the snow into the park in the middle of the city. Dash ran up beside her, looking around. Violet was kneeling in the middle of the park, panting heavily with her shoulders hunched over. A group of frightened and curious onlookers surrounded her, and the demon from before could be seen headless off to the side. 

"Violet!" Helen ran toward the crowd to push through it, leaving Dash standing outside the circle of people. He looked over the demon's body, then made his way toward its head, which had landed right side up, as if its body was simply buried underneath the snow. He approached it with wide-eyed wonder, his heart pounding rapidly. 

Was this it...? Was the whole thing over so suddenly? The demon looked dead enough, and if this was the one that had been speaking to his mind... then it looked like it really was gone. Thanks to Violet... he didn't have to worry about it ever returning again. 

"Son, we're leaving!" Dash's head snapped back toward his mother, suddenly coming back to his senses. He turned to follow her home, as she helped Violet along carefully. When they got there Violet said she wanted to get down, so Helen put her down and let her walk through the front door under her own power. She'd barely walked inside when Lisa shouted in glee. 

"Violet!" Lisa jumped up and ran to hug her friend tightly. "Oh my God, are you okay!?" 

"I'm okay... I got rid of it..." Violet's voice was shaking in weakness, but there was a tinge of pride contained within it. "He won't come back again..." She leaned against her friend tiredly, holding onto her. Dash smiled slightly and walked around them to look up at his sister's tired face. It was good to see it smiling. 

"Come on honey, I'll help you get ready for bed. You should get home before you get in trouble Lisa." Helen told Violet's friend. Lisa nodded. 

"I'll see you at school tomorrow Violet. You just rest up... and thank you for saving me." She smiled and squeezed Violet one last time before turning to leave. Helen picked up Jack-Jack, then turned to lead Violet into the back by one hand. Dash followed to head into his room alone, peeling off his super suit and pulling his pajamas on before climbing into bed. 

He lay silently, staring at the ceiling. It felt like a heavy burden had been lifted off his shoulders. He was sure the demon was gone now... there was nothing left to worry about. Except a thunderous crash from right out in the hallway that jolted him straight up in bed. He could see dust floating through the hallway right outside his bedroom door. 

He crept toward the hallway, meeting Violet and turning to look down the hall. They saw their father in his Mr. Incredible outfit marching down the hall toward the living room away from a hole in the wall, from which Jack-Jack's screaming could be heard. They started to creep after him fearfully, but their mother's voice stopped them. 

"Kids, don't. Stay back." They both turned to watch their mother emerge from the rubble, rubbing the back of her neck stiffly. 

"Mom, what's going on?" Violet asked fearfully. 

"I don't know. You two just stay here, and take care of Jack-Jack." Helen demanded. 

"But mom..." Dash complained softly. 

"Stay here! I'll be back as soon as I can!" With that their mother turned to run from the house, leaving the two children alone with the frightened, screaming baby. Dash just stared after her in shock, confused and frightened once again. Why couldn't anything ever be simple? Why couldn't they just lead normal, problem free lives for more than a month at a time? 

"This is your fault you know." Violet told him acidly. Dash blinked and looked at her slowly. She had a vicious sneer on her face, staring down at him. "They fight because of you." 

"Violet..." Dash said softly. "Stop..." 

"What's wrong Dash? Afraid of the truth?" Violet shoved him roughly against the wall, which was easy since she was twice his size. "You're nothing but a burden! Your antics stress out mom, piss off dad, and make trouble for everyone involved with you!" 

"It's not her... it's not her... it's not her..." Dash closed his eyes, chanting softly to himself. 

"And you have the nerve to have a crush on my best friend? You sick little pipsqueak." She grabbed his arm roughly. "I should cut you in half." 

"Get away from me!" Dash yanked his arm away from her and streaked out the front door, bursting out into the cold. It was very late in the middle of Winter and he wasn't wearing anything warmer than a set of pajamas. He was freezing, but he didn't stop running through the night. He wasn't actually going anywhere, he was just trying to outrun his sister's words. 

"It can't... I mean, the demon's dead. It's dead... but Violet wouldn't say those things... she doesn't think..." He reached up to wipe at his eyes furiously. Suddenly his foot landed on a patch of ice, sending him stumbling to the ground at very high speed. "Aaagh!" Dash howled as he slammed into the street and slid along it to slam into the door of a nearby house with a heavy thud. 

Dash shook his head clear, then opened his eyes to see his sister standing over him. She had a scowl on her face. "You can't outrun me Dash. Not with my new powers. Powers that are a hundred time better than yours." 

"Stop it!" Dash pushed himself up and took off running again. He thought he might've heard the door of the house open before he left, but he didn't look back to check. He just ran as fast as he could, flying down the street in a desperate attempt to leave her behind. Suddenly she appeared right in front of him as if fading in from her invisibility powers. Dash skidded to a stop to avoid slamming into her. 

"Running... typical little coward." Violet sneered. Dash turned away from her to see Lisa standing behind him. 

"You really think I would like someone like you?" Lisa barked out a laugh. "Stupid boy..." Dash turned again to find Darrel blocking his path. 

"Friend? Who needs a horrible friend like you!?" Darrel shouted. 

"You're a failure, Dash." A pair of voices floating from behind him. Dash turned slowly to see his parents glaring down at him disdainfully. "You've done nothing but hurt this family... nothing but hurt US." They told him darkly. Dash backed away from them, but couldn't go far lest he bump into Darrel behind him. Suddenly he heard another voice... this one softer and gentler. 

"Dash?" Marie stepped past Lisa, watching him with wide eyes. She was shivering in the cold, wearing a thin pink nightgown that brushed against the snow as she walked and her deep red hair hanging about her face. "Are you okay?" She wouldn't stop shaking, but still her eyes were glazed over with fear and concern. She didn't even notice the figures standing around him. 

The figures turned to look at her as if in surprise, and Dash was afraid they would attack her. "Marie!" Dash charged forward, scooping her out of the snow and charging past Lisa with the girl clutched in his arms. Marie shrieked in fear and surprise, wrapping her arms around his neck to keep from falling. "Don't worry, I got you." 

"Dash, where are we going?" She asked. She didn't even question that they were easily exceeding 30 MPH on foot. 

"Away from them!" Dash replied. Marie blinked, staring up at him. 

"Away from who...?" Dash looked down at her, slowing down. She looked genuinely confused. 

"Away from... them..." Dash looked up to find that they were alone in the street. Marie looked around as well, then looked up at his face again, shaking her head. 

"Nobody's there Dash... nobody was ever there." She told him solemnly. Dash blinked slowly, as if his mind was coming out of a fog. He'd known that... they would never follow him around like this. Why would he ever think that? 

"It's not gone..." Dash shivered partly from the cold, partly from the realization of what was happening. "Violet killed it... but it's still not gone." Marie didn't respond. Instead she just wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a tight hug. He was caught off guard at first, then he hugged her close, resting his cheek on her shoulder and closing his eyes. 

"It's okay Dash..." Marie cooed in the way usually reserved for mothers. "It's okay..." No it wasn't okay... but somehow Dash was still comforted. That demon... it was still in his mind somehow. Even after Violet had taken it down it was still there. He didn't know how... he didn't know what he could do about it... but there was one thing he did know. 

This wasn't over yet. 

THE END 


End file.
